Key result
Pharmacist-led academic detailing linked to a ~0.3% monthly increase in veterans achieving BP control.
Why the study?
In 2023, VISN 20 of the US VA ranked last out of 18 regions in the composite quality health measure goal for veterans with high blood pressure (<140/90 mmHg).
Does a pharmacist-led academic detailing intervention improve the proportion of veterans meeting a blood pressure goal of <140/90 mmHg?
Observational
Yes
Does a pharmacist-led academic detailing intervention improve the proportion of veterans meeting a blood pressure goal of <140/90 mmHg?
A pharmacist-led academic detailing intervention significantly improved the proportion of veterans achieving a blood pressure goal of <140/90 mmHg across multiple VA medical centers.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May support pharmacist-led detailing to improve veteran BP control; leaves open need for randomized confirmation of durability.
BACKGROUND In 2023, the Virtual Integrated Services Network (VISN) 20 of the United States (US) Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) ranked last out of 18 regions in the composite quality health measure goal for veterans with high blood pressure (<140/90 mmHg). OBJECTIVES Evaluate the impact of academic detailing (AD) on the proportion of veterans with a blood pressure goal of <140/90 mmHg for seven VA medical centers in VISN 20. PRACTICE DESCRIPTION Implementation of a pharmacist-led, hypertension-focused AD intervention to increase the proportion of veterans meeting blood pressure goal of <140/90 mmHg. PRACTICE INNOVATION Prioritization of efforts to improve healthcare quality accountability measures and enhance blood pressure management across seven VA medical centers through AD. EVALUATION METHODS A retrospective quasi-experimental study was conducted to evaluate the impact of the AD intervention on the proportion of veterans with a blood pressure goal of <140/90 mmHg at seven VA medical centers at VISN 20. A single-group interrupted time series analysis was conducted to evaluate the differences in the trends of the proportion of veterans with a blood pressure goal of <140/90 mmHg before and after implementation of the hypertension-focused AD intervention. RESULTS There was a significantly greater increase in the trend (proportion of veterans with a blood pressure goal <140/90 mmHg) in the period after compared to before the AD intervention by +0.31-percentage points per month (95% CI: 0.18, 0.43) in the pooled cohort of VA medical centers. Moreover, four of the seven VA medical centers had significant increases in the proportion of veterans with a blood pressure goal of <140/90 mmHg in the period after compared to before implementation of the AD intervention. CONCLUSION A hypertension-focused AD intervention improved the proportion of veterans with a blood pressure goal of <140/90 mmHg at VISN 20.
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Winterswyk et al. (2026) conducted an observational in Hypertension. Pharmacist-led, hypertension-focused academic detailing vs. Pre-intervention period was evaluated on Proportion of veterans with a blood pressure goal of <140/90 mmHg (Trend difference +0.31 percentage points per month, 95% CI 0.18, 0.43). A pharmacist-led academic detailing intervention significantly increased the proportion of veterans meeting a blood pressure goal of <140/90 mmHg by +0.31 percentage points per month (95% CI 0.18-0.43).
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