Blood pressure checks should be part of all GP visits
Australians should have their blood pressure checked whenever they see their GP, according to Professor Finlay McAlister from the University of Alberta in Canada.
Speaking at a National Heart Foundation of Australia’s Conference in Melbourne, he urged Australia to introduce routine blood pressure checks and other key recommendations from the successful Canadian Hypertension Education Program (CHEP).
Canada is one of the world s leading countries in the prevention and control of high blood pressure thanks to the CHEP, which Professor McAlister played a key role in managing.
The introduction of the program in 1999 coincided with a decrease in cardiovascular disease rates and an increase in the diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure, said Professor McAlister.
Including blood pressure checks at all appropriate clinical visits was a key reform along with raising public awareness about the importance of lifestyle changes and medication adherence, he added.
The number of Canadians with high blood pressure who were being successfully treated increased from 13% to 66% between 1992 and 2010.
