Pharmacists can play a valuable role in improving outcomes for patients with hypertension.
And now two new resources compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) can help. The resources provide pharmacists with information on the treatment—and prevention—of high blood pressure.
“The resources are an opportunity to help pharmacists manage their patients’ health and establish that pharmacist-patient relationship that supports the engagement of effective communication of patients, family members, caregivers and the patients’ physicians,” said Stacia Spridgen, Pharm.D., LTC (ret), USA, director of the APhA Federal Pharmacy Program.
Using the hypertension resources
The resources offer pharmacists instructions for managing the patient care process and tips for developing community partnerships.
One of the resources, “Using the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process to Manage High Blood Pressure: A Resource Guide for Pharmacists,” is a management tool to help oversee the patient’s medication process and therapy.
The other resource, “Methods and Resources for Engaging Pharmacy Partners,” outlines strategies that help state health departments establish and expand pharmacy services. It explains how pharmacists can form community partnerships to aid in addressing hypertension. For example, partnering with the YMCA to offer programs that use exercise to help people manage their hypertension. Or, how pharmacists can reach out to state health departments and local physician groups.
“I encourage community pharmacists to use these resources and try to translate them into their everyday practice for their patients,” Spridgen said.
A health care team
Uniting all forces can help improve patients’ health. “Patients with high blood pressure often have other conditions, such as diabetes and high cholesterol,” Spridgen said. “The goal is to address all the patient’s medication needs and health problems rather than just focusing solely on one condition.”
The resources equip pharmacists with the tools they need and provide them with an opportunity to engage in partnerships to address hypertension management. “Everyone has the same goal: improving patient health,” Spridgen said. “Developing those relationships with physicians, families, caregivers and public health departments all work together to improve patient outcomes.”
The resources are free to download at pharmacist.com.
By the numbers
Despite its prevalence, many patients are uninformed of their blood pressure measurements and whether they’re at-risk for hypertension. Here’s a look at hypertension in the U.S.
1/3 – About one in every three U.S. adults has high blood pressure
2 – The percentage of individuals at risk for hypertension and who are aware of their condition
46 billion – National costs of health care services and medications used to treat hypertension
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; American Journal of Hypertension
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