HOME BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING
Many of our patients check their own blood pressure these days, which we welcome because:
- Accuracy – More readings are used for assessing their control than if they attend the surgery for a single reading..
- It is more convenient for the patient, and for us.
Especially at a time when we have been trying to minimise routine attendances at the surgery we would like as many patients as possible, if they can to invest in a Home BP machine so we can monitor them in this way.
It’s important to use an upper arm cuff machine, NOT a wrist one, and a good device is the OMRON M2 Basic – which retails at around £25 and is available on-line and from our on-site Pharmacy.
These will measure the Peak Pressure (Systolic); the baseline pressure (Diastolic) and your pulse rate.
RULES FOR USE
- DON’T use it regularly. It’s not helpful or healthy to obsessively monitor your blood pressure every day or week. Use it only as a replacement for the surgery visits, which may be annually/6 monthly or 3 monthly dependent on your control.
- DON’T reach for it routinely if you’re feeling ‘off’. You can’t feel high blood pressure, and a number you don’t know how to interpret may only make the next number higher!
- DO use it twice a day for about a week during the period of assessment. (Do this when convenient, we suggest one set of readings in the morning and one in the afternoon or evening).
Sit down for a few minutes before use, and do 3 readings (the first reading is often but not always the highest and then the readings may level out.)
Eg 158/84 146/78 144/82
Take the reading with the lowest TOP number (the ‘systolic’ – in this case 144/82) and record it.
The machine will also record your pulse rate but we don’t usually need to know that.
WHAT DO I DO WITH THE READINGS?
Please let us have the list of readings, by email if you can, or by post. (The practice email address is admin.stubleymedicalcentre@nhs.net and is secure)
PLEASE, if you can, AVERAGE the top and bottom numbers for us as it saves us lots of time at the surgery going through multiple readings.
In most cases we will try and get your control to an average of below 150/90 but some conditions have lower targets, of 140/80.
WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE READINGS?
If we are satisfied with the readings we will add them to your record and NOT contact you – please repeat the process again in 6 months, or sooner/later as recommended for you.
If we feel the readings need a repeat, or a change in therapy we will be in touch.