Home Blood Pressure Monitoring
The doctors and nurses at Nuffield Road Medical Centre have developed a service to allow patients with a diagnosis of hypertension (high blood pressure) to monitor their own blood pressure at home. This involves:
- monitoring their blood pressure for 1 week twice a year
- Submitting their results to the practice using the following form.
- When the practice has received the results they will be reviewed by the patient’s usual GP and the patient contacted with the outcome.
- If any blood tests are needed the patient will be informed.
- Providing there are no issues with medication a prescription will be repeat dispensed (see below)
- If there are issues with medication we would ask patients to raise these when they submit their blood pressure readings.
Patients wishing to take advantage of this service will need to discuss it with their usual GP and buy a blood pressure monitor approved by the British Hypertension Society: http://www.bhsoc.org//index.php?cID=246
Care for patients with high blood pressure at Nuffield Road Medical Centre
In general people with high blood pressure should have the following monitoring:
- Six monthly blood pressure check
- Medication review every 6 months to check for side effects and other problems with medication.
- Annual blood tests for kidney function and glucose.
- A cholesterol and diabetes test at diagnosis and every 5 years.
We try to coordinate all of this monitoring into one visit to the surgery. Following this visit, if your condition is stable you can then have medication repeat dispensed. This means that you only have to visit the pharmacy to pick up you medication for the next 6 months.
Approximately half the people with a diagnosis of hypertension also have another related long term condition such as diabetes, heart disease or kidney disease. These patients will have their blood pressure, blood tests and medication monitored as part of the annual check for their long term condition. They may also require a blood pressure check at 6 monthly intervals which can be booked with the health care assistant. If blood tests are needed more frequently the surgery will contact you when they are due.
If you would like to monitor your Blood Pressure at home follow the following link;