Electronic health record tools to optimize blood pressure for pregnancy-capable adults in primary care
Official title: An electronic health record-based strategy to optimize blood pressure among pregnancy-capable adults in primary care: The REACH-OUT Trial
Funded at Northwestern University · NIH-11397761 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A technology-based plan helps women with high blood pressure who could become pregnant manage their BP safely in primary care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northwestern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2025 |
| Project end | June 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $616,302 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL178127-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11397761 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Women aged 21 and older with hypertension who are receiving care in Federally Qualified Health Centers and may become pregnant.
✕Less likely to help
Pregnant women already under specialized obstetric care or individuals without hypertension are not the target.
What this research studies
This project uses a tech-enabled strategy in Federally Qualified Health Centers to improve blood pressure control for reproductive-aged women with hypertension. It combines electronic health record clinical decision support, pregnancy-intention screening, and careful review of anti-hypertensive medications and contraceptives to reduce cardiovascular and pregnancy-related risks. The approach aims to monitor medication use and blood pressure to support clinicians in making safer, personalized treatment choices. The team partners with FQHCs to build an infrastructure that helps clinicians ensure appropriate anti-hypertensive therapy and contraceptive use for this high-risk group.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could lead to safer blood pressure management and healthier pregnancies for women with hypertension.
How similar studies have gone: Prior similar strategies in real-world primary care settings have shown potential to improve BP management, though results vary by implementation.
Where this research is happening
-
Northwestern University
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bailey, Stacy C — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Bailey, Stacy C
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Primary Care After Pregnancy: A New Way to Support Interconception Health
Aimed at improving the health of women after childbirth by testing a new primary-care–based model to deliver interconception care.
-
ASPIRE: Making self-measured blood pressure work for primary care patients
A practical plan to help adults manage high blood pressure by using home blood pressure readings in regular clinic care.
-
Environmental factors driving disparities in hypertensive pregnancy disorders and blood pressure over time
This project studies how everyday environmental factors like air pollution and temperature affect blood pressure changes and HDP disparities in pregnant people.
-
Connecting women with pregnancy high blood pressure to heart-health care after birth
This project looks at how health care systems help or block women who had high blood pressure during pregnancy from getting heart-health care after delivery.
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Helping primary care teams support home blood pressure monitoring
This project will try different ways to help clinics and patients use team-based home blood pressure checks to improve blood pressure control, especially in low-income and minority communities.
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Understanding how to improve postpartum care for women with pregnancy-related high blood pressure
This study looks at the difficulties women encounter when moving from pregnancy care to regular doctor visits after having high blood pressure during pregnancy, and it aims to find better ways for doctors to help these women manage their heart health afterward.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.