Public-use blood pressure machines in pharmacies for identification of undetected hypertension in the community

Source: Journal of Clinical Hypertension Area: Evidence > Medicines Management > References PharmaSmart PS-2000 (PharmaSmart Canada Corporation, Vancouver, BC, Canada) BP kiosks are validated devices measuring seated BP at the brachial artery.  The kiosks also have Internet connectivity, allowing collection of anonymised results obtained.  The writers of this letter obtained data from PharmaSmart on readings obtained from 341 locations of a Canadian chain pharmacy between Jan 2010 and Nov 2011.  A total of 8,457,552 readings were taken in the observation period, with an average usage across all pharmacies of 964 +/- 26.8 measurements monthly.  Mean BP was 131/78 mm Hg with mean pulse of 76 beats per minute.  Concludes that public-use BP kiosks are a potentially valuable tool in the early detection of undetected or uncontrolled BP.  Given the accessibility and frequent use of kiosks by the public, future research on individuals' motivation to measure their BP at these kiosks and how we can utilise the results is warranted.
Source: NeLM - Cardiovascular Medicine - Category: Cardiology Source Type: news