Project, Preceptor, and Practicum Interest Form (PPPIF)

Project Site Description

The proposed project will be carried out in a Primary care Clinic in the USA that offers comprehensive Primary care and chronic disease management. The clinic is an outpatient family practice, is part of a larger family practice, and practices a preventive health care approach as well as long-term management of chronic conditions. The practice is evidence-based and patient-centred to ensure good health outcomes. The clinic has a multi-disciplinary staff of around 25 people that includes physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and medical assistants.

Chronic care like hypertension is treated by primary care providers in routine checkups and check-ups. Approx. 40-50 patients a day, which gives about 250 patient contacts per week in the clinic. Each encounter contains key aspects of vital sign reviews, medication reviews, and patient education. The setting offers an opportunity for the implementation of standardisation of protocols in line with recommended best evidence-based hypertension guidance.

Identified Problem or Gap in Practice

The identified problem in the practicum site is the lack of follow-up and standardized guidelines for the treatment of patients with hypertension, resulting in inconsistent management of these patients. While some providers might be more likely to follow the guideline recommendations for therapy, this is not true for all. Audits were conducted to determine evidence of the problem.

The baseline data collected from the electronic health record (EHR) review showed there were 180 adults at the site with diagnosed hypertension at the time of baseline. The blood pressure of 180 adult patients was controlled (BP <140/90 mmHg) to uncontrolled (BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg) hypertension, with 40% of the patients having controlled hypertension and 60 patients having uncontrolled hypertension (Nurse Manager, personal communication, April 28, 2026).

Quality Improvement and Intervention Approach

Quality improvement – hypertension management involves a systematic process of trying to improve the quality of care delivered to the patient by following evidence-based guidelines and is the structured approach to improving the outcomes for the patient. Quality improvement management is a systematic process that is about enhancing the safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of the delivery of healthcare by continuously monitoring, evaluating, and refining the processes of healthcare.

A multidisciplinary approach is an approach that involves different disciplines working together to provide holistic care for the patient, which includes management of medications, support for lifestyle changes, and continued follow-up. Team interventions using a team approach to care delivery, which helps to improve communication, enhance accountability and address gaps in care delivery, have been shown to be effective for improving hypertension control. In addition, there has been a large focus on patient education as it is key to enhancing adherence – well-informed patients tend to be more adherent to treatment plans and more likely to engage in healthy behaviours.

Staff Education is a key factor in the success of the project and is to be based on competencies. Staff training will be centred around developing knowledge regarding guidelines for hypertension, correct blood pressure measurement, titration of medicines, and guidance given regarding medicines to patients. Competency-based Education helps health care workers use evidence-based practice in their clinical settings, minimizing errors and improving the quality of healthcare provided.

Training also helps to achieve standardization among different providers, which in turn makes it uniform in hypertension management. All interventions — from standardized protocols to EHR integration, team-based care, to competency-based training — are predicted to make a huge difference in terms of better hypertension control rates, better patient outcomes, and lower long-term cardiovascular risks. The packages of strategies form a sustainable approach towards quality improvement in primary care.

Additional Information for Mentor and Site-Based Learning Team

The other information needed, e.g., for the mentor and the learning team at the site, comprises baseline hypertension control data, existing working practices, and staff competency at the identified site. The contents contain details on documentation systems, medication adjustments and systems of follow-up appointments that are used at the clinic. Having the data will enable you to pinpoint pockets of unmet service delivery needs and inform planning for interventions.

Support to lead, staff preparedness, and access to systems to record EHR information is also crucial for successful implementation. The intervention will be evaluated based on data gathered on patient engagement, including attendance at appointments, compliance with lifestyle modifications, and attendance at follow-up appointments.

Data and evidence-based guidelines will be shared to further ensure clinical practice is aligned with national data and evidence-based guidelines. The above information will be used to assist in the development, implementation and evaluation of a quality improvement project.

Population Description

Target population comprises the following: Primary care site: RN, NP. These nurses are engaged in chronic disease management, medication monitoring, patient education, and follow-up coordination of hypertension patients. The population identified receives training and guidelines, and this adds structure and consistency to clinical decision-making, therefore improving patient outcomes.

 A study highlighted the pivotal position of the nurse in the management of hypertension and how they are central to effective management of BP, thereby influencing it through the accurate assessment of the patient, education, and timely intervention. In achieving this, nursing involvement is crucial to ensure there is seamless service delivery with no variations on how to do things from service provider to service provider.

The implementation of the standardized hypertension treatment protocol falls to registered nurses and nurse practitioners, including correct measurement of blood pressure, medication titration support, lifestyle counseling, and follow-up coordination. In-service competency training will optimize nurses’ knowledge and skills with evidence-based hypertension management, provide uniformity of clinical guidelines, and increase confidence of the nurses in delivering patient care.

Documentation accuracy will also be improved, and communication within the care team strengthened through training. The importance of targeting the nursing staff is that they are the first point of contact with patients and play an important role in the clinic to ensure adherence to the protocol, patient involvement, and sustainable management of hypertension in the long term.

In the next few weeks, you will be having a Virtual Check-In with you, your mentor, and your preceptor. Please list dates and “blocks” of time when you and your preceptor are available. This will be used by your mentor to send a link to a Zoom Meeting. 

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