Table 2.
Correct Responses for Knowledge and Differences Between Provider Type
| ED Provider Group | P Value | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MD, No. (%) | PA, No. (%) | RN, No. (%) | ||||||
| Part I Knowledge of Knowledge Assessment | ||||||||
| Correct HTN definition | ||||||||
| Normal BP: ≤120/80 mm Hg | 47 (87.0) | 70 (81.7) | 72 (78.3) | .576 | ||||
| Pre‐HTN: 120–139/80–89 mm Hg | 50 (92.6) | 70 (83.8) | 58 (64.8) | .010 | ||||
| Stage I HTN: 140–90 to 159/99 mm Hg | 45 (84.9) | 74 (87.7) | 60 (73.6) | .043 | ||||
| Stage II HTN: ≥160–100 mm Hg | 15 (27.8) | 33 (37.0) | 35 (40.7) | .311 | ||||
| Correct ACEP action | ||||||||
| Refer ↑SBP | 4 (88.9) | 61 (71.8) | 53 (58.9) | .001 | ||||
| Reassess ↑SBP | 41 (75.9) | 65 (76.5) | 58 (63.7) | .172 | ||||
| Refer ↑DBP | 29 (53.7) | 54 (64.3) | 63 (69.2) | .121 | ||||
| Reassess ↑DBP | 36 (66.7) | 61 (71.8) | 73 (81.1) | .169 | ||||
| Correct BP threshold | SBP, No. (%) | DBP, No. (%) | SBP, No. (%) | DBP, No. (%) | SBP, No. (%) | DBP, No. (%) | ||
| Chose the correct threshold for Reassessment | 16 (29.6) | 21 (41.2) | 26 (30.9) | 34 (43.6) | 18 (20.0) | 32 (37.6) | .217 | .663 |
| Chose the correct threshold for Referral | 25 (46.3) | 31 (59.6) | 36 (32.1) | 44 (54.5) | 19 (19.8) | 44 (51.2) | .007 | .842 |
| Part II of knowledge assessment | ||||||||
| JNC 7 awareness | ||||||||
| Aware | 26 (48.1) | 56 (64.7) | 19 (20.9) | .001 | ||||
| Not aware | 28 (51.9) | 26 (31.7) | 73 (79.3) | |||||
| JNC 7 familiarity | ||||||||
| Somewhat familiar | 14 (53.8) | 33(59.6) | 12(65.0) | |||||
| ACEP awareness | ||||||||
| Aware | 36 (66.7) | 47 (56.8) | 24 (27.2) | .001 | ||||
| Not aware | 16 (29.6) | 33 (38.3) | 65 (70.7) | |||||
| ACEP familiarity | ||||||||
| Somewhat familiar | 17 (47.2) | 31 (66.0) | 21 (88.0) | |||||
| Part III of knowledge assessment | ||||||||
| Perceived cause | Mean (±SD) | Mean (±SD) | Mean (±SD) | |||||
| Pain | 8.0 (±2.2) | 8.0 (±2.0) | 8.3 (±2.0) | .509 | ||||
| Undiagnosed HTN | 7.0 (±2.0) | 6.9 (±2.0) | 6.7 (±2.4) | .878 | ||||
| Uncontrolled HTN | 7.5 (±1.9) | 7.0 (±2.1) | 7.8 (±2.2) | .052 | ||||
| Anxiety | 6.8 (±2.2) | 6.9 (±1.9) | 7.6 (±2.2) | .044 | ||||
| Inaccurate reading | 5.1 (±2.3) | 4.9 (±2.3) | 5.0 (±2.2) | .824 | ||||
| Inaccurate BP cuff size | 5.3 (±2.1) | 5.3 (±2.2) | 5.9 (±2.4) | .246 | ||||
Abbreviations: ACEP, American College of Emergency Physicians; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; ED, emergency department; JNC 7, Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure; MD, medical doctor; PA, physician assistant; RN, registered nurse; SBP, systolic blood pressure; SD, standard deviation.