The pharmacist’s role in the screening or monitoring of high blood pressure could be crucial… But it is greatly reduced by the regulations: he cannot act without a doctor’s prescription.
- A pharmacist cannot screen or monitor a patient’s high blood pressure without a doctor’s prescription.
- The network of pharmacies on the territory could however allow a much better prevention and care of hypertensive people.
The fifteen days of high blood pressure take place from October 11 to 25. The opportunity to recall the importance of all health professionals in the screening and monitoring of patients with high blood pressure. It is the most frequent chronic pathology in France according to the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm). It can be defined as abnormally high blood pressure in the blood vessels. Most of the time, it is measured during a consultation with his general practitioner with a tensiometer. Normal blood pressure is 120/80. The first number is the systolic pressure, it is equivalent to the maximum pressure, when the heart contracts to empty itself of blood. 80 is the diastolic pressure, which is the minimum when the heart relaxes to fill. We speak of high blood pressure when these figures exceed 149/90 at the doctor’s office and 135/85 at home. If high blood pressure is suspected, the doctor often asks the patient to take self-surveys at home several times a day for three days.
The importance of screening by the pharmacist…
“In France, the pharmacist does not have the right to perform a rapid diagnostic orientation test (TROD) whatsoever, which includes taking blood pressureunderlines Pierre-Olivier Variot, pharmacist and president of the Syndicate union of community pharmacists (USPO). The only requirement for it to be done is that a doctor writes it on a prescription. It’s abnormal that I can’t take the blood pressure of a patient who is not well, the regulations have to change.“However, doctors like pharmacists and the majority of health professionals are campaigning for prevention to be everyone’s business. Pharmacy screening can be lifesaving. “When I got vaccinated against Covid-19, my blood pressure was measured twice after the injection, continues Pierre-Olivier Variot. I applied the same instruction with the 400 patients I vaccinated and ten of them had very high blood pressure figures. I measured their blood pressure again at other times, it was still high and eventually referred them to their GP. They came out with treatment. Potentially it’s ten cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) that we avoided.” A untreated high blood pressure can be a risk factor for cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, neurodegenerative pathologies and problems or even diabetes. According to Inserm, high blood pressure is the leading cause of preventable stroke.
… but also patient follow-up
In France, the network of pharmacies is very large, they are located everywhere with often wide working hours. The role of pharmacists is therefore very important, especially in so-called medical desert areas. Especially since, generally, he has a close relationship with the patients. They are the ones who see them the most and can therefore realize whether or not their treatment has been properly followed…. “When they start high blood pressure medication and it makes them tired, that’s the worst because they tend to say that the treatment makes them sicker, assures Pierre-Olivier Variot. It is therefore necessary to reinforce monitoring at the start of treatment.“A role that pharmacists are ready to have if they are given the opportunity…. Currently, even for this, the doctor must have made a prescription stipulating that the pharmacist follows the patient because his medical time does not allow him…
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