Bob Brown* smoked a pack of cigarettes and drank a six-pack of beer every day. The 61-year-old didn’t have a physician and didn’t think he needed one—until he got a slew of diagnoses that changed his life. With the help of his new physician, he took his health into his own hands.
In 2014, Brown began experiencing shortness of breath, chest pain and swollen legs, so he sought care at MedStar Family Health Center (FHC) at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center in Baltimore. His physician found that Mr. Brown had severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, symptoms of congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease and uncontrolled hypertension. He also was morbidly obese.
“But worst of all, Mr. Brown’s spirit was at an all-time low,” Seung “Jay” Chung, DO said. “He wanted to sign out against medical advice several times during his nearly two-week hospital stay.”
Taking control of his health
Fortunately for Mr. Brown, MedStar is part of an AMA-Johns Hopkins initiative that helped Dr. Chung get his symptoms under control.
Through its Improving Health Outcomes initiative, the AMA and participating physicians and care teams are working with researchers at the Johns Hopkins Medicine Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality and the Johns Hopkins Center to Eliminate Cardiovascular Health Disparities to develop and test evidence-based blood pressure recommendations and provide practical tools for physician practices and health centers.
Once Mr. Brown’s acute medical conditions were managed, the staff at MedStar FHC closely followed his health.
“From the beginning, I thought Mr. Brown would be a good candidate for self-measured blood pressure monitoring,” Dr. Chung said, who used a protocol similar to that now available in an AMA-JHM guide for physicians and care teams. He loaned Mr. Brown a home blood pressure monitor for two weeks, taught him how to measure his blood pressure and involved him in his own self-care.
It wasn’t easy for Mr. Brown. His kidney disease, obesity and other ailments added to the challenge of getting his blood pressure under control. But he stuck with it—and it worked.
“Even the cardiologist stated that it is quite uncommon to see such a great improvement,” Dr. Chung said. “But the most important thing was the improvement in the patient’s spirit. He realized he has the most important role in improving his own health.”
As a result of his success in getting his blood pressure under control, Mr. Brown’s overall health has improved, and he is making lifestyle changes to lose weight and eat better.
Feeling empowered
“Monitoring my blood pressure has made me feel more helpful and involved with my doctors, who are helping me get better and be more proactive in taking care of myself,” Mr. Brown said. “I believe that if I had participated in a program like this one sooner, I might not be in the same predicament, health-wise, that I am in now.”
Mr. Brown said he’ll continue to monitor his blood pressure, even though he completed the program with MedStar FHC, to prevent any further health issues.
“When I first met this patient in the hospital, I thought he would not be long for life,” Dr. Chung said. “But by modifying his lifestyle and participating in the self-measured blood pressure monitoring program, he turned his situation around nearly 180 degrees.”
More ways to improve
Learn what you need to know about self-measured blood pressure monitoring programs. You also can observe National High Blood Pressure Education Month by sharing a new infographic on Facebook or Twitter with your practice team and patients so they understand how seemingly minor factors can affect their blood pressure measurements.
You also can use additional resources, including:
- Patient handout on how to measure blood pressure at home
- Evidence-based checklists to improve blood pressure control
- Poster to demonstrate proper patient positioning when taking blood pressure
*Patient’s name has been changed.
