Self measurement of blood pressure contributes to improve the education of hypertensive subjects

Education of hypertensive subject must sensitize the patient to its pathway and to the prescribed treatment. Self-measurement of blood pressure, which directly implicates the patient, should ameliorate the education of hypertensive subject. Objectives: To evaluate if the possession of a self-measurement blood pressure device improves patients' knowledge of hypertension. Methods: In 484 treated hypertensive subjects referred to hypertension specialists, a questionnaire evaluating patients knowledge of hypertension and its treatment was given before the consultation. During this consultation, the practitioner evaluated the concordance between antihypertensive treatments declared by the patient and those effectively prescribed. Results: In this population, aged 61 +/- 12 years, with 55% of men, a self-measurement blood pressure device was possessed by 165 subjects (34%). These devices have been bought without medical advice by 83 patients. For a minority of subjects (n=41), self-measurements of blood pressure were made at the wrist. Blood pressure level was similar in subjects with (141 +/- 19/80 +/- 10 mmHg) or without (140 +/- 19/80 +/- 10 mmHg) self-measurement devices. Subjects possessing a self measurement device had a better knowledge of their usual blood pressure level and of the normal blood pressure values (< 140/90 mmHg), than subjects without self measurement device (93% vs 77%, p<0.01, and 56% vs 33%, p<0.01, respectively). Moreover, subjects in possession of self-measurement devices had a better knowledge of their antihypertensive treatment than those without device (83% vs 70%, p<0.05). Logistic regression analysis including age, sex, smoking, education level, blood pressure level and the number of antihypertensive tablets confirm the statistical differences observed. Conclusion: Hypertensive subjects who possess a self-measurement blood pressure device have a better knowledge of their hypertension. These results indicate that the possession of a self-measurement device contributes to the education of hypertensive patients.