NCT05760898 | NOT YET RECRUITING | Hypertension

Brief Summary:

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a autoimmune disease associated with an increased risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD) and premature death, particularly in Black patients. Traditional CAD risk factors like hypertension (HTN) are both very common and poorly controlled among Black RA patients. Disparities in RA disease activity further increase the risk of CAD in this population. Black patients face significant barriers when seeking RA care, and the investigators suspect similar challenges affect HTN care in this population. The goals of this project are to identify and address barriers to HTN care in patients with RA to reduce disparities in HTN and CAD outcomes for Black RA patients. Interviews with Black RA patients, rheumatology providers, and primary care providers in the Duke University Health System will be conducted to describe barriers to HTN care in Black RA patients. Interviews will focus on access to care, patient-provider communication, coordination of care, and the challenges of managing HTN in patients with RA. These interviews will help us to develop an intervention that will focus on improving uncontrolled HTN in Black RA patients. The investigators plan to do this by empowering Black RA patients to actively participate in their HTN care, improving patient-provider communication, and improving coordination between primary care and rheumatology providers. If successful, our intervention has the potential to reduce rates of CAD and associated death for Black RA patients.