Self-monitoring patients better at controlling their own blood pressure

The blood pressure of those who used a new self-monitoring system at home dropped further than those who did not use it, researchers at Edinburgh University found.

The portable “telemonitoring” system allows people to record and send blood pressure readings directly to medical staff.

Doctors and nurses then check the figures and, if necessary, contact the patient to discuss their health and medication.

Telemonitoring was shown to encourage doctors to prescribe and patients to accept more prescriptions of anti-high blood pressure drugs, thereby reducing patients’ blood pressure.

Every year high blood pressure leads to more than seven million premature deaths through heart disease and stroke, experts say. In the UK there are around 62,000 unnecessary deaths from stroke and heart because of poor blood pressure control.

Around 400 people aged 29-95 took part in the six-month trial. Half of them received telemonitoring while the remainder were given normal blood pressure care through their local GP surgery.

But using telemonitoring had little impact on people’s lifestyle, such as their salt consumption or weight management.