Abstract P016: Blood Pressure Measurements Obtained By Community-dwelling Adults Are Similar To Clinician-obtained Measurements: The SMART-BP Validate Study

Abstract

Background: Home blood pressure (BP) monitoring is an effective strategy to diagnose and manage BP. However, uncertainty regarding patients’ ability to accurately measure their BP contributes to treatment inertia. Thus, we compared BP measurements with the Omron 9210T device obtained by clinicians and community-dwelling adults, after training. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a simulated home environment at an academic center in Maryland. After a 5-minute rest period, a trained clinician measured participants’ BP, twice at a 1-minute interval. Participants then ambulated at their usual pace for two minutes followed by a 5-minute rest. During the second rest period, the participant viewed a 3-minute video on how to measure their BP. They obtained two measurements at a 1-minute interval. Results: We included 90 adults with a mean age of 55 (±13.9) years, 58% were female, 88% were Black, 39% had annual income <$25,000, 64% had diagnosed hypertension, and 53% had BMI > 30 kg/m 2 . About half (52%) had a home BP monitor. There were no significant differences between clinician- and participant-obtained systolic BP (mean difference [MD]: -1.22, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -2.98-0.54, p = 0.173) or diastolic BP (MD: -0.62, 95% CI: -1.35-0.12, p = 0.094). There was no difference in between the large or extra-large cuff sizes. All participants demonstrated satisfactory self-measured BP skills after the training. Conclusions: Community-dwelling adults can accurately measure BP after a brief training. Integration of BP training into patient encounters may result in reliable home BP measurements, and use of home BP measures may potentially reduce clinical inertia.