Blood Pressure Control: Helping Patients Take Their Medicine: CDC Vital Signs: 09/13/2016

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.). Office of the Associate Director for Communications. ; National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (U.S.)
• Description:
  High blood pressure can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and death. About 70% of US adults age 65 or older have high blood pressure and only about half have it under control (less than 140/90 mmHg). Blood pressure medicine (along with a healthy diet and exercise) can protect the heart, brain, and kidneys, but only if patients take it and keep their blood pressure controlled. However, at least 25% of adults, ages 65 or older, with Medicare Part D prescription drug insurance are not taking their blood pressure medicine as directed. This means they may skip doses or stop taking it altogether. Health care systems, including providers, medical practices, pharmacies, hospitals, community health workers, and insurers can work with patients to make taking medicine easier.
  
  Health care systems can:
  
  • Simplify blood pressure treatment (e.g. prescribe 90-day refills and combination medicines and coordinate pill refills for the same date) and prescribe generic medicines.
  
  • Involve the entire healthcare team at several points of care to ensure patients are taking medicine as directed and to address patient concerns about side effects. Implement effective blood pressure treatment protocols in clinical practice. http://go.usa.gov/xjf59
  
  • Encourage the use of home blood pressure monitors and easy- to-use tools (e.g. blood pressure logs and mobile apps) to track and share blood pressure readings.
  
  • Address financial barriers, such as high co-pays and deductibles.
  
  CS267220A
  
  2016-09-vitalsigns.pdf
  
  
• Subjects:
  Blood Pressure Hypertension
• Series:
  Vital Signs
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Fact Sheet
• Pages in Document:
  4 unnumbered pages
• Collection(s):
  Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:294424ec5060cf2f04d5bac9b1b10967d36758aea3034872b4dc7b2a1ece0042dc2d37cb8ae215571bc6ff6e47379c08053efc459ebb67137783f183c8e559e3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/41287/cdc_41287_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.82 MB ]