FRI123 Development And Impact Of A Best Practice Alert For Primary Aldosteronism Screening

Abstract

Abstract Disclosure: S. Charoensri: None. L. Bashaw: None. C. Dehmlow: None. T. Ellies: None. A.F. Turcu: None. Background: Primary aldosteronism (PA) is a common cause of secondary hypertension, affecting up to 25% of patients with treatment-resistant hypertension. PA amplifies the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality above that of equivalent primary hypertension. Despite this, <3% of candidates for PA screening are ever evaluated, including in academic centers with facile access to all required resources for PA subtyping and treatment. Clinical decision support tools, such as best practice alerts (BPA), can leverage electronic medical records technology to support health care delivery improvement efforts. Intervention and Measurements: In collaboration with institutional Informational Technology services, we developed an algorithm that identifies PA screening candidates as adult patients with hypertension and one of the following criteria: ≥ 4 current antihypertensive medications; age < 35 years; hypokalemia (defined by potassium supplements or low serum potassium in the past year); or adrenal mass on problem list. The algorithm excluded patients who had both plasma aldosterone and renin measurements within the past 5 years. A non-disruptive BPA to suggest PA screening was constructed and set to trigger in patients meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria when evaluated in outpatient setting by clinicians who treat hypertension, including Internists, Family Practitioners, Cardiologists, Nephrologists, and Endocrinologists. An order set for PA screening and a link to results interpretation guidance were also embedded within the BPA. The BPA was first piloted between Aug-Sept 2021, and then launched on October 1st, 2021. We assessed the number of unique patients identified by the BPA between Oct 1st, 2021- Dec 14th, 2022, stratified by PA screening indications; attitude towards the BPA; and number of patients who received PA screening orders. Results: In total, the BPA identified 14,443 unique candidates for PA screening, including: 6944 patients with treatment-resistant hypertension; 6583 patients with hypertension and hypokalemia; 1527 patients with hypertension <35 years; and 444 with hypertension and an adrenal mass. During the same time frame, 3614 (25%) patients received orders for plasma aldosterone and renin. Patients tested were on average 57 +/-17 years old, 2000 (55.3%) were women, 2573 (71.2%) were White, 712 (19.7%) Black, and 105 (2.9%) Asian. Of new orders, 1364 (37.7%) were placed by Internists, 685 (18.9%) by Family Medicine physicians, 559 (15.5%) by Endocrinologists, 235 (6.5%) by Cardiologists, and 50 (1.4%) by Nephrologists. Family Practitioners and Internists placed most orders via the embedded BPA order set (66.6% and 46.3%, respectively), while Endocrinologists placed 98.6% of the orders outside of the BPA order set. Conclusions: Non-disruptive BPAs enhance the rates of PA screening, particularly among Internists and Family Practitioners. Presentation: Friday, June 16, 2023