A Quality Improvement Project to Improve Medical Assistants’ Confidence Level in Providing Health Coaching and Education on Hypertension to Clients in A Safety Net Clinic

Abstract

Hypertension is one of the leading modifiable risks for cardiovascular disease. Approximately 29% adults in the United States are diagnosed with hypertension, a statistic that continues to rise. The prevalence of hypertension among Hispanic adults was 27.8%. Factors that place Hispanic adults at higher risk for uncontrolled hypertension include a lack of access to healthcare services, high poverty rates, low education, lower health literacy and language barriers. A quality improvement project was implemented in a safety-net clinic serving a predominately Hispanic non-English speaking population in response to the need to improve the management of hypertension in their clients. The clinic relied on many volunteer medical providers but employed three bilingual Medical Assistants (MAs). The literature showed the Medical Assistant workforce is an untapped and underused resource that can help support self-management. The goal of this quality improvement project was to increase the MAs’ perceived confidence in providing hypertension health coaching and education for Hispanic clients with hypertension. A baseline suvery assessing understanding of the MA’s knowledge of hypertension management was obtained. A second survey evaluating the MA’s confidence in providing hypertension health coaching and education was completed. Education on motivational interviewing (MI) technique and hypertension topics was delivered the general clinical staff which included the MAs. Two additional two educational sessions with topics specifically for the MAs were held. Following the third session participants were asked complete confidence level survey again. The result of the project showed that the MAs’ confidence level did increase significantly after the educational/coaching sessions.