Automated Office Blood Pressure (AOBP) Monitoring for Diagnosis of Hypertension
Abstract
Hypertension (HTN) is a complex medical diagnosis that has the potential to cause target organ damage, morbidity, and mortality. Approximately 95 percent of all HTN diagnoses are labeled as primary, or essential, HTN and have no known cause (Buttaro, Trybulski, Bailey, and Sandberg-Cook, 2017). According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (2016), the total associated costs for treatment of HTN in the United States reached $48.6 billion. Costs included in this figure are healthcare services, medications, and missed days of work (CDC, 2016). The economic impact combined with the nationwide morbidity and mortality resulting from HTN warrants attention (CDC, 2016). White coat hypertension (WCHT) is a syndrome where the patients blood pressure is elevated while in clinic but falls within guidelines when assessed outside of the clinic (AHA, 2019). Of patients diagnosed with HTN, nearly 23 percent of cases can be attributed to WCHT and lead to unnecessary treatment (Omboni, et al, 2016). Given this information, the focus of this project was to introduce the use of Automated Office Blood Pressure (AOBP) measurements into practice to aid with accurately diagnosing HTN, thus differentiating it from WCHT. The aim of this project was to integrate AOBP measurements in the primary care clinic for patients that presented for their appointment with elevated blood pressures in the absence of a prior HTN diagnosis. The goal of this project was to establish an alternative, accurate, and cost-effective method for the 81st Medical Group (MDG) to differentiate between essential HTN and WCHT.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 23, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1181557
Entities
People
- Cassie Foss
- Craig Schadewald
- Precious Arnette
- Theodore Iii Szerszenski
Organizations
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences