We can help you monitor your blood pressure at home
July 29, 2022
Do you have high blood pressure and need help keeping track of it? We can help!
Inside your body, your blood is moving around, all the time, in tubes called blood vessels. Sometimes your blood can push too hard on your blood vessels. This is called high blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure and you do not control it, it can cause:
- Stroke
- Heart failure
- Kidney problems
- Heart attack
- Eye problems
Most people with high blood pressure feel healthy. The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to use a blood pressure cuff to check your blood pressure every two weeks. In the past, you would have to go to your health center to use the cuff, but now we can give you a cuff you can use at home.
Monitoring your blood pressure at home
The blood pressure cuff you use at home can connect to a separate device that saves your information so that your provider can see your results every time you use the cuff. This allows your provider to see information about your blood pressure more accurately and more often. Once you and your provider have a better idea of your blood pressure, you can work with your care team to figure out the best and most precise treatment.
“If you choose to enroll in this program, you will also have the opportunity to work with a care navigator remotely,” said Jay Musella, LMSW, the Institute’s Director of Care Coordination Programming. “The care coordinator will be available to address any questions you might have about the program, provide education around your medication or lifestyle changes, or work through any technical problems you are having with your device. The care navigator is an important piece to this puzzle as they act as a liaison between you and your care team.”
William Bakey, PA-C, MPH, LNHA, DHSc, the Institute’s Clinical Director for Hypertension, shared that, “We are very thankful to all of the Institute teams and community partners that came together to implement our remote patient monitoring initiative, which allows us the opportunity to provide our patients with a quality service to control their blood pressure and overall health.”
The remote blood pressure monitoring devices will be available at all Institute sites within the next few months. The goal is to offer these devices to 8,000 patients by the end of 2023. Remote monitoring for high blood pressure is part of a program supported by a grant from HRSA.
If you are concerned about your blood pressure levels and would like to use a remote blood pressure monitoring device, ask your provider at your next appointment.
