Verify that you’re getting the most accurate blood pressure readings from your patients by using this quick video.
Share the video on Facebook or Twitter with your practice team and patients so they understand how seemingly minor factors can affect their blood pressure measurements.
Here are some additional resources to help you improve your practice’s hypertension management:
- Learn the 5 barriers to hypertension control and how to address them in your practice.
- Read how a physician used the M.A.P. approach to help a patient change his life.
- Find out the three questions you should ask patients when measuring their blood pressure.
- Hear what other physicians are doing to control hypertension in their practices.
- See how you can help patients manage blood pressure outside of office visits.
Why you should take action
The number of hypertension-related deaths in the United States increased by 66 percent over the past decade, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To put that in perspective, the number of deaths from all other causes combined increased only 3.5 percent during that period.
The AMA’s Improving Health Outcomes initiative is taking steps to reverse this trend. Through this initiative, the AMA and participating physicians and care teams are working with researchers at the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality and the Johns Hopkins Center to Eliminate Cardiovascular Health Disparities to develop and test evidence-based blood pressure recommendations and provide practical tools for physician practices.
