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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not want take my own blood pressure for GP appointment

123 replies

user1471593137 · 09/08/2022 11:47

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

OP posts:
thebellagio · 09/08/2022 17:24

This is exactly the type of thing that SHOULD be done at home. It’s quick and easy and it frees doctors up to see people with other needs that can’t be treated at home. And if your blood pressure reading shows you need to see an HCp, you’ll be further along the pathway than the initial appointment.

surely this should be seen as a good thing?

I know when I was on the pill I couldn’t get my head around what a waste of time it was to have to go in once a year for a pill check, when it’s data I could easily provide from home

OfficiallyBroken · 09/08/2022 17:32

For everyone saying this is perfectly reasonable...what about people who can't afford to pay for a BP monitor?

£20 is more than some people can budget - all to access a GP appointment which should be free at the point of access. Plus if you're obese like me the chances of you taking an accurate BP reading is pretty remote. I had one student nurse panic and say I needed the hospital because she used the wrong sized cuff.

Sliding the financial responsibility onto patients is a slippery slope that the Tories will absolutely love that people are saying is perfectly acceptable.

dreamingbohemian · 09/08/2022 17:33

I'm with you OP and I'm really not understanding these responses

Yes, if you call the GP and say you want a BP check, I completely understand them saying, go to a pharmacy or do your own at home
Or if you have a chronic condition where frequent BP checks are needed, better to do at home regularly than go to the GP all the time

But it sounds like you are seeing the GP for something else, and they are just asking for a BP as context. Like if you have, I don't know, abdominal pain and they want to know your BP. I think in this case we shouldn't have to buy BP monitors or have to track down a pharmacy who might offer it, there should be an option to just go have a normal appointment.

MajorCarolDanvers · 09/08/2022 17:35

Its a good idea (if you have access to a bp machine) because your result will be far more accurate. White coat syndrome etc.

Ilikewinter · 09/08/2022 17:37

I needed to provide a BP reading twice in the last year to enable me to do an over the phone appointment, honestly the first time i looked at my records for an old reading and just gave the same! , the 2nd time I was offered the use of a BP machine in the surgery which prints off your reading.

FictionalCharacter · 09/08/2022 17:37

Sidge · 09/08/2022 17:14

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.

Surely most people don’t have a BP monitor at home? Are you expecting us to go out and buy one? We might only need to use it once a year.

cestlavielife · 09/08/2022 17:41

Ask if surgery has self service b p machine

anniegun · 09/08/2022 17:41

A £20 monitor is a good investment as keeping a check on your BP through all stages of your adult life is pretty useful. Given the state of the NHS and the way the Tories are taking it you need to look after your own health as much as possible

anniegun · 09/08/2022 17:43

FictionalCharacter · 09/08/2022 17:37

Surely most people don’t have a BP monitor at home? Are you expecting us to go out and buy one? We might only need to use it once a year.

Show quote history

Do you feel the same about thermometers? Most people have one of those

Iwant2move · 09/08/2022 17:44

I use an Omron machine at home. I have normal BP measurements at home but go into hypertensive crisis in medical settings.

Luredbyapomegranate · 09/08/2022 17:45

If you have borderline BP and they are considering medication they normally ask you to test for a couple of weeks at home, because for a lot of people it really goes up when they are at the docs.

Luredbyapomegranate · 09/08/2022 17:46

And the surgery usually has some to lend out.

welshweasel · 09/08/2022 17:48

A BP monitor is £20. The vast majority of people can afford this (or club together with other family members/friends/find one to borrow). If you genuinely can’t afford it/are too fat to fit a standard BP cuff etc then I’m sure if you speak to the GP surgery they will accommodate you. If 90 percent of folk do their own, that’s an awful lot of valuable GP time saved (and likely more accurate results).

Fluffyboo · 09/08/2022 17:49

OfficiallyBroken · 09/08/2022 17:32

For everyone saying this is perfectly reasonable...what about people who can't afford to pay for a BP monitor?

£20 is more than some people can budget - all to access a GP appointment which should be free at the point of access. Plus if you're obese like me the chances of you taking an accurate BP reading is pretty remote. I had one student nurse panic and say I needed the hospital because she used the wrong sized cuff.

Sliding the financial responsibility onto patients is a slippery slope that the Tories will absolutely love that people are saying is perfectly acceptable.

Exactly, how many people just make it up after googling because they don't want to admit they can't afford to go out and buy the monitor

notanothertakeaway · 09/08/2022 17:50

British Heart Foundation website has a section where they sell monitors

High blood pressure is known as 'the silent killer' because so many people are unaware they have it

I would recommend everyone has a monitor. If necessary, club together with family or friends, to split the cost. Or suggest someone gives it to you for Christmas

BigWoollyJumpers · 09/08/2022 17:53

Talk about having to pull people kicking and screaming into taking some responsibility for their own health. You should see what remote health monitoring DH is working on. Tech really is the answer to so many of our health issues, and starting with home monitoring of blood pressure is a very basic place to start tbh.

Smartish · 09/08/2022 17:55

OP, YANBU at all. This happened to me at the start of the pandemic- I couldn’t get a new prescription of the pill without a BP reading but I don’t own a machine- why would I?!
I don’t think I know anybody with one at home… I’m in my 30s, no health issues it had never crossed my mind to be monitoring my BP.
Just feels like another way to avoid offering face to face appointments at the GP surgery.

CactusFlowers · 09/08/2022 17:56

I think for some people it’s a positive step, as long as they make allowances for people who can’t manage it themselves due to health, mobility etc.

I also question the ability of some people to follow instructions and record results given a significant percentage of the population has poor literacy skills.

TeapotTitties · 09/08/2022 17:56

I love my monitor. I just email my readings to the surgery every week.

For PPs who have said it might not be working accurately, my GP/Practice Nurse tell me to bring it along whenever I do have a face to face appointment.

It's always been accurate though.

CornishTiger · 09/08/2022 17:58

I need to take mine. Had to buy a large cuff. It’s a bugger to get on and I frequently get error messages.

maybein2022 · 09/08/2022 17:58

Just be careful with home BP monitors- mine consistently reads a LOT higher than the hospital one.

mumda · 09/08/2022 18:01

I have white coat syndrome. Or more accurately don't keep me waiting for forty minutes in a waiting room full of crying babies '

We have pulse oximeter and BP cuff. I've got a stethoscope too but haven't mastered that yet.

TeapotTitties · 09/08/2022 18:05

maybein2022 · 09/08/2022 17:58

Just be careful with home BP monitors- mine consistently reads a LOT higher than the hospital one.

Do you follow the instructions?

I was getting high readings before I realised I'm not supposed to drink caffeine an hour before, and I need to sit up straight with my feet flat on the floor.

nixnjj · 09/08/2022 18:13

I have heart problems and have to email BP and pulse readings weekly. Getting to GP cost me at least 15 and causes all sorts of nasty reactions. Emailing is easy, as for cost yes its outlay but saves transport costs over time. I'll be investing in a few other bits or asking as gifts, Doctors can help but its up to me to learn to live with my condition.

Icedbannoffee · 09/08/2022 18:16

God forbid people have to take some responsibility for their own health.