Scientists know that high blood pressure is a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular-related deaths in the U.S. But controlling the condition, also known as hypertension, has been difficult.
Since 2017, high blood pressure has been defined as 130 mmHg and higher systolic or 80 and higher diastolic.
That marked a change from the old hypertension definition of 140/90 and higher and reflects that complications can happen at lower numbers.
In a study from the University of Minnesota, scientists found telehealth care by pharmacists is an effective alternative to clinic-based care for managing high blood pressure.
Nearly half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure, but only about 1 in 5 have their hypertension under control.
In the study, researchers compared two types of care for moderately severe, uncontrolled high blood pressure: traditional clinic-based care, using face-to-face visits with doctors and medical assistants, and telehealth care, with home blood pressure telemonitoring and home-based care coordinated via telephone by a pharmacist or in some cases, a nurse.
The research was conducted on 3,071 people, whose average age was 60, in a randomized trial involving 21 primary care clinics in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The telehealth and clinic-based care were both successful in lowering blood pressure on average by about 18 mmHg on the systolic blood pressure, the “top number” in reading, and 10 mmHg on the diastolic measurement, or “bottom number.”
But there was no big difference in the change over time in systolic or diastolic blood pressure between the two groups.
These results suggest telehealth team care by pharmacists is an effective and safe alternative to clinic-based care for uncontrolled hypertension.
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The study was conducted by Dr. Karen Margolis et al and published in Hypertension.
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