SMBP with PharmacistSMBP Study: Improving High Blood Pressure in Older Adults With Multiple Chronic Diseases

Nearly half of adults in the United States (47 percent, or 116 million) have hypertension, also known as high blood pressure (BP). Uncontrolled high BP can be devasting as it can lead to stroke, heart attack and kidney failure, as well as other numerous health conditions. Hypertension can be controlled; however, only one in four of adults with hypertension have their BP controlled. The chance of having high BP increases as one ages, requiring the need to examine effective hypertension strategies in older adults. The issue of hypertension management is compounded even further among older U.S. adults who live with multiple chronic diseases.

National organizations identified several effective health systems strategies for improving rates of BP control, including patient self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) monitoring. SMBP involves a patient's regular use of personal BP monitoring devices to assess and record BP across different points in time, typically at home. The evidence base for utilizing SMBP strategies in healthcare systems and practices is strong. However, there is not research regarding SMBP including how to include it into workflow in primary care clinics. Previous research has shown SMBP is beneficial, but more information is needed regarding whether SMBP is beneficial in high-risk populations (such as rural, older adults or Black, older patients).

The research team will test whether SMBP with normal clinical support vs SMBP with clinical pharmacist support improves BP in older adults living with multiple chronic conditions. The addition of a pharmacist has been shown to improve patient outcomes, though the effectiveness of SMBP with a clinical pharmacist in older adults is not known. The primary outcome will be change in systolic BP over 12 months. The secondary outcome will be self-reported treatment burden over 12 months, using a validated tool called the Multimorbidity Treatment Burden Questionnaire. The research team plans to include a subgroup of rural, older adults and Black, older adults and will not exclude older adults who have dementia.