Increasing risks of stroke or heart attack
Nearly 30 per cent of adults in Scotland have high blood pressure – also known as hypertension – and many of them are not receiving treatment because they don’t know they have it.
High blood pressure means the blood pressure is consistently higher than the recommended level. It often has no symptoms and people with the condition may feel perfectly well.
However, if it’s left untreated, high blood pressure increases the risk of having a heart attack or stroke and can lead to the development of heart failure, dementia and kidney failure.
That’s why new approaches are being tried to enable patients like Bill to better monitor and manage their blood pressure at home – giving them more control over their condition using a system that’s simple and convenient to use, and reducing the current demand for GP time spent on blood pressure monitoring.
The care model involves the person checking their blood pressure at home for an agreed period of time and texting the readings to the digital health system. If they are outwith the pre-agreed parameters, they will be advised what action to take. Clinicians can also view real-time information about patients at any time.
There are several ways this digital technology can be applied in terms of both diagnosis and longterm monitoring which this collaborative work will explore.
It builds on earlier work completed through the Technology Enabled Care Programme and will help develop a model of care that will be both scaleable and sustainable.
Richard Forsyth, health service engagement head at BHF Scotland, said:“high blood pressure is a very common condition that can have devastating consequences.
“If you have it, you’re more likely to have a heart attack or a stroke.
“But it can usually be easily treated with medication and lifestyle changes, such as reducing salt intake, maintaining a healthy weight and being more physically active.
“That’s why we want to make sure more people understand their blood pressure, what the readings mean and how best to manage the condition.
“This innovative partnership with NHS 24’s Scottish Centre for Telehealth and Telecare and the three health boards gives us the opportunity to improve diagnosis and management of high blood pressure without increasing the workload for GPS and practice nurses.
“The evidence from this project will be used to support the spread of this model across Scotland.”