(RxWiki News) Reducing blood pressure in one patient may be relatively simple. But when it comes to ensuring blood pressure reductions across entire countries, the effort becomes a little trickier both for patients and physicians.
A new program in Canada may well be on its way to becoming a model for large-scale blood pressure management. Dr. Sheldon Tobe, chair of the Canadian Hypertension Education Program, is tackling that feat by rolling out a program that could have wide implications. The Heart and Stroke Hypertension Management Program includes healthcare provider education and patient-specific tools to allow control by doctors and patient self management.
"Dropping your blood pressure means less cardiovascular risk."
Initially about 3,600 patients participated in a study of the program, and results indicated that blood pressures declined rapidly. After three years with the program patients maintained average blood pressure reductions of 6.4/3.8 mmHg. Tobe said the program resulted in 41 percent more patients being able to keep their blood pressure under control.
Tobe said the study showed that when it comes to hypertension, inexpensive education intervention can lead to consistent blood pressure control.
The three-year preliminary phase was maintained at 11 primary care sites in communities across Ontario.
Even small drops in blood pressure dramatically decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease. Reducing blood pressure by just 5 mmHg means a reduction of 14 percent in stroke mortality, a 9 percent drop in coronary artery disease and a 7 percent decrease in overall mortality.
