 Dr. Karen Margolis | Atlanta, GA - Initial results from a novel intervention, whereby pharmacists manage hypertension patients by phone and are able to adjust and alter their medications as necessary, show the approach to be a resounding success... Six months after the start of the program, almost 72% of patients in the special home blood-pressure telemonitoring group had their BP under control, compared with about 45% of those receiving usual care. "And everybody started with their BP out of control, so that's a very big difference," lead researcher Dr Karen L Margolis (HealthPartners Research Foundation, Bloomington, MN)... The intervention patients measured their BP at home and sent the readings electronically to a secure website. ..the mean systolic BP decreased by 21.6 mm Hg in the intervention group compared with a reduction of 10.3 mm Hg in the usual-care group... Reductions in diastolic pressure followed a similar pattern: -9.3 mm Hg in the intervention group compared with -3.4 mm Hg in usual care |
|
|
