CHICAGO — Joining forces to help tackle hypertension, a condition that impacts 120 million U.S. adults each year, MedCerts and the American Medical Association (AMA) today announced their collaborative efforts to improve blood pressure (BP) measurement skills and knowledge among more health care professionals. When blood pressure is measured incorrectly, it can lead to improper screening, diagnosis and care management of hypertension, ultimately impacting a patient’s overall health.

The MedCerts-AMA collaboration will help reach a wider range of health care professionals, including medical assistants, with standardized educational content designed to train them on accurately and consistently measuring blood pressure. MedCerts, a leader in online career training for allied health care and information technology, now offers three interactive AMA-developed learning modules as part of its comprehensive “Vital Signs for Caregivers” eLearning unit, including BP Measurement Essentials, Measuring BP in Real-World Settings and Practice Measuring BP.

“With the lack of standardized training on evidence-based blood pressure measurement techniques, the AMA is collaborating with organizations like MedCerts to expand access to AMA’s online education modules to help ensure all health care professionals in the U.S. are uniformly trained to take accurate and consistent BP measurements,” said AMA President Bruce A. Scott, M.D. “We continue to see a decline in the percentage of American adults who have their blood pressure under control, making our work to standardize the way health care professionals measure blood pressure more important than ever. We will continue to further these efforts that we believe will lead to improved patient outcomes.”

Recently launched within MedCerts’ new certified nursing assistant (CNA) program, the AMA blood pressure learning modules will be incorporated in all MedCerts patient care programs beginning in October/November. The initiative is expected to reach more than 10,000 MedCerts students annually.

“We’re truly proud to collaborate with the American Medical Association to help future medical professionals provide the best patient care possible. Preventing heart disease, heart attacks and strokes starts with something as simple—but crucial—as raising awareness about how to accurately measure blood pressure. It’s also about encouraging patients to make lifestyle changes that can lead to longer, healthier lives,” stated Dana Janssen, chief product officer of MedCerts.

The AMA reports that nearly half of all adults in the U.S. — more than 122 million — have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, but only about 1 in 4 adults with the condition have it under control. Controlling hypertension is the single most impactful intervention for preventing heart disease and death from heart attacks and strokes, which is why the AMA has made BP control one of its main priorities. 

High blood pressure is typically symptomless and can quietly damage blood vessels, leading to serious health problems. While there is no cure for high BP, it is important for people to take steps to improve their own health outcomes. Along with taking BP-lowering medications as prescribed by their doctor, this includes lifestyle changes such as regularly exercising, avoiding smoking, limiting alcohol, managing stress and eating a healthy, low-fat, low-sodium diet.

About MedCerts

MedCerts – a Stride Inc. company (NYSE: LRN) – is a national online training provider strengthening the workforce through innovative eLearning solutions. Focused on certifications in high-demand areas of Allied healthcare and IT. MedCerts delivers career training through HD-quality video-based instruction, virtual simulations, games, animations, and more. In 2023, MedCerts launched its Partner Solutions brand focused on building partnerships to bridge the gap between our students, job seekers, employers, higher education institutions and workforce agencies. This new brand includes several partnership models, including recruitment, reseller, content licensing options and more.

Since 2009, the company has developed over 50 career programs, trained and upskilled more than 100,000 individuals across the country, and partnered with over 400 American Job Centers and more than 1,000 healthcare organizations to build talent pipelines. For more information on MedCerts, visit medcerts.com. For more information on MedCerts Partner Solutions, visit partners.medcerts.com.