Self-Monitored Blood Pressure
Strong scientific evidence shows that when patients are trained to correctly measure and monitor their own blood pressure, and are given clinical support, people with hypertension lower their blood pressure.
Videos for Patients to Guide Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring from Home
For videos and other resources to support blood pressure management (which helps prevent heart attacks and strokes) in multiple languages, visit the Department of Health's Monitor Blood Pressure page.
Home Blood Pressure Monitor Comparison and Other Resources to Support Home Monitoring
A common question that providers and patients have is: Which home BP monitor best meets my needs? A new resource, Choosing a Home BP Monitor - At a Glance Comparison, is now available from the National Association for Community Health Centers. You can find this and other valuable resources to support blood pressure self-monitoring at NACHC’s Million Hearts® Web site. Another resource for finding validated blood pressure monitors for home and clinic use is the Validate BP site, which serves as the official list of validated blood pressure devices in the U.S. Would you like support in setting up a blood pressure self-monitoring program at your clinical site? If so, let us know by contacting HeartDisease@doh.wa.gov.
Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring at Home Policy Statement
The Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring at Home Policy Statement from the American Health Association and the American Medical Association offers recommendations to address these barriers. The policy statement reviews the effectiveness of SMBP monitoring in diagnosing and managing hypertension, which is critical to narrowing disparities and improving blood pressure control in low-income, and medically underserved communities, rural communities and communities of color that experience significant disparities in hypertension rates.
Tools for Providers and Health Systems
Health Care Delivery SMBP Implementation Guide
The National Association of Community Health Centers offers the Health Care Delivery SMBP Implementation Guide. This practical guide is designed to help health care delivery organizations implement SMBP into practice or optimize existing SMBP processes.
What is Self-Monitoring of Blood Pressure? (Infographic)
https://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/final_smbp_sect_508_tested_no_watermark.pdf
New CPT Codes to Cover SMBP (from Target BP)
https://targetbp.org/tools_downloads/new-cpt-codes-to-cover-self-measured-blood-pressure-smbp/
Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring: Action Steps for Clinicians (CDC)
https://millionhearts.hhs.gov/files/MH_SMBP_Clinicians.pdf
Resources from the Washington State Department of Health
How to Check Your Blood Pressure – Booklet for Patients
English: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/8380/345-273-BloodPressHm-en-L.pdf
Spanish: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/8380/345-273-BloodPressHm-es-L.pdf
Vietnamese: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/8380/345-273-BloodPressHm-vi-L.pdf
Russian: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/8380/345-273-BloodPressHm-ru-L.pdf
Chinese: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/8380/345-273-BloodPressHm-zh-L.pdf
Cambodian: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/8380/345-273-BloodPressHm-km-L.pdf
You can find many other materials to support patients in self-monitoring blood pressure here:
https://www.doh.wa.gov/Publications/ChronicDiseasesAsthmaCancerDiabetesetc
Target: BP Resources
Target: BP™ is a national initiative formed by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) in response to the high prevalence of uncontrolled blood pressure.
Find tools and resources from AHA and AMA designed to help your practice improve blood pressure control for patients at this link: https://targetbp.org/tools-downloads/?sort=topic&
Did you know that the Washington State Department of Health offers training for trainers on how to support accurate blood pressure self-monitoring? Please contact us for more information on how to participate in this training, or bring this training to your location.