Advertisement

Advertisement

Dr. Marina Abdel Malak, MD, CCFP, BSc.N,

is a Family Physician in Mississauga, Ontario. She has served on several committees and groups, including The Primary Care Network and Collaborative Mental Health Network. She has a passion for medical education, patient empowerment, and increasing awareness about the relationship between mental, emotional, and physical health. Dr. Abdel Malak is highly involved in quality improvement initiatives, and her research interests include strategies to support physician wellness, patient self-management, and optimizing physician education.

CLINICAL TOOLS

Abstract: Hypertension is increasingly common—and it is treatable. However, this requires frequent monitoring in order to titre medications, ensure optimal control, and prevent complications. Educating patients on how to monitor their blood pressure at home is central to managing hypertension. This article explores specific advice physicians can give their patients on when and how to monitor their blood pressure at home, and provides resources to use in practice.
Key Words: Hypertension, patient education, monitoring, blood pressure.
1) At-home monitoring by patients has been shown to improve HTN control and prevent complications.
2) Hypertension Canada recommends patients aim to measure their BP about once every month for for one week recording their readings in a log.
3) Patients should check their BP at the same time of day, preferably in the morning after medications, but before consuming alcohol or caffeine, or smoked, or exercised, in the past half hour.
4) Patients need to know what signs and symptoms to report to their physician regarding their BP.
Educating patients on monitoring their BP at-home between their medical visits is crucial.
Lifestyle changes are also important. Physical activity, smoking cessation, and a balanced diet are essential in maintaining BP control.
At every visit, physicians should review monitoring with their patients, lifestyle counselling, and medication adherence.
To have access to full article that these tools were developed for, please subscribe. The cost to subscribe is $80 USD per year and you will gain full access to all the premium content on www.healthplexus.net, an educational portal, that hosts 1000s of clinical reviews, case studies, educational visual aids and more as well as within the mobile app.
Related Terms: Preventive Health, hypertension, patient education, monitoring, blood pressure
Disclaimer: 
Disclaimer at the end of each page