To not want take my own blood pressure for GP appointment

[user1471593137]

Is this a thing now? I have a telephone appointment next week and have been asked to sort my own BP reading before.

You'll get a much more accurate reading at home and it is really not difficult.

A lot of pharmacies offer services where they will check.

as said above it will be more accurate probably if not in a clinical setting as for many people white coat syndrome is a real thing!

I assume that it is to avoid white coats syndrome. It also can show if you have higher readings at day vs night etc

Of course YABU. It’s a telephone consultation, BP is impossible to measure from a distance

What’s the big deal? If you know someone who has a machine, use theirs.

Some surgeries (like mine) has a machine in the waiting room you can pop in and use. Otherwise many pharmacies and places like Boots offer BP checks.

We are actively trying to reduce the number of HCA and nurse appointments used just for BP and weight checks as we’re under so much pressure. Also when I do pill checks if someone supplies their BP and weight I can do it over the phone which tends to be more convenient all round.

Ok, fair enough, I didn't know about this. Obvs I would ask for face-to-face if not taking it myself!

I'm not a fan. Because it's a clinical skill - basic but clinical none the less

1. People might be using a BP machine that doesn't work very well or gives inaccurate readings. Or lots of user error

1. Not every pharmacy offers this service. My local ones do. My mum's don't. She wanted it checked recently and none available to help. That was just for her though, no GP asking

Lots of people have home monitors now and it's really being pushed for people to check their own at home. It's more accurate and saves using a 10 minute nurse/HCA appointment just to check BP. If you're not known to have hypertension and it's just a random one, I would not expect you to buy one just for this, but if it's likely to be needed often then I'd advise buying a monitor (£20 ish on amazon).

@shehesmesloos it’s really not that different to having it done in the surgery. If you use a decent machine like an Omron one used on the arm rather than the wrist it’s the same as we use in the surgery. Automatic BP monitoring is hardly a clinical skill, unlike using a sphygmomanometer.

User error is unlikely. You put the cuff on, pull it tight, apply the Velcro and push a button.

White coat hypertension is eliminated, repeated readings can be taken if a diary of readings is needed to identify hypertension, and readings are more accurate at home.

It's another way for doctors to get out of seeing patients isn't it? My dh was told to go and buy a blood pressure monitor by his surgery. I'm not sure why would happen if we couldn't afford it.

Why would you not want to know if there is an issue with your blood pressure?

I have borrowed a home monitor from my surgery for this exact reason. I don't want to have a stroke or heart attack!

I have awful white coat syndrome! Last time I got a high reading at a check up the nurse said I could take my own at home. I downloaded a chart from the internet and filled in readings twice a day for (I think) a week, and dropped off the print-off at the surgery. Interestingly, my readings gradually fell over the week as I got used to the process.

I do it this way on purpose because if they do it at the GP it immediately sky rockets. But it means I already have the device, I'm not sure what you're meant to do otherwise.

I have white coat syndrome. Doctor recommended getting one from Boots and said they were just as accurate as the ones they use.

Given it’s a telephone appointment how else do you think it can be achieved?

I got one from Boots. Because they readings at home were so different from the ones at the surgery I ended up taking my monitor in. When the nurse took it on my monitor it matched the readings they were getting in the surgery, it just went stupid high when the nurse took it.

Exactly

By bringing me in to the surgery? It's not like I specifically requested a phone appointment. I was also told to do my own research and choose my preferred treatment. I'm finding remote healthcare a bit unnerving tbh.

It is not difficult and does not take long. In an era of increasing pressure on healthcare services, we need to get used to doing stuff for ourselves.

Low blood pressure is unpleasant too. As others have said white coat hypertension happens a lot in a clinical setting hence suggesting home readings. It’s set out in NICE guidelines which are what primary care follow - that ambulatory and home blood pressure readings are what are needed before diagnosis. It’s not offloading onto patients but it is about trying to help people understand their own health and conditions. It is a simple thing that someone can do at home and surely that is worth it to take some pressure off our failing NHS 🤷‍♀️

Is there a video on YouTube on how to remove your own appendix?
High time people took more responsibility for their own minor issues.

Strange to ask about a video of removing one's own appendix, then in the next line say people need to take care of their own healthcare more?

Every time I have my BP taken in the surgery it’s borderline high - white coat syndrome. The nurse told me to get a home monitor and take readings morning and evening for a week and I did, and it turns out I’m right at the very bottom of normal. It’s not the GP being lazy, it’s that home readings are a much more accurate reflection of your health. And why would you want an expensive and scarce resource like a fully qualified GP doing something you could both easily and more accurately do at home?

Oh dear god. We are not trying to get out of seeing patients. Do you seriously not realise we’re under such pressure, and checking a blood pressure isn’t something that MUST be done by a HCP.

You checking your own BP can

• save you a trip to the surgery. Given current fuel prices a lot of people appreciate this.
• save us using an appointment that can be freed up for something that CAN’T be done at home.
• saves time so we can focus on more important stuff.

As for reading up on treatment or medication options and choosing a preferred option this is called being actively involved in your healthcare decision making. It is A Good Thing.

Did they give you any pointers where to start?