Home Blood Pressure Monitoring.

Home blood pressure monitoring provides important diagnostic information beyond in-office blood pressure readings and offers similar results to ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Home blood pressure monitoring involves patients independently measuring their blood pressure with an electronic device, whereas ambulatory blood pressure monitoring involves patients wearing a portable monitor for 24 to 48 hours. Although ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is the diagnostic standard for measurement, home blood pressure monitoring is more practical and accessible to patients, and its use is recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association. Home blood pressure monitoring generally results in lower blood pressure readings than in-office measurements, can confirm the diagnosis of hypertension after an elevated office blood pressure reading, and can identify patients with white coat hypertension or masked hypertension. Best practices for home blood pressure monitoring include using an appropriately fitting upper-arm cuff on a bare arm, emptying the bladder, avoiding caffeinated beverages for 30 minutes before taking the measurement, resting for five minutes before taking the measurement, keeping the feet on the floor uncrossed and the arm supported with the cuff at heart level, and not talking during the reading. An average of multiple readings, ideally two readings in the morning and again in the evening separated by at least one minute each, is recommended for one week. Home blood pressure readings can be used in hypertension quality measures.

Electronic health records improve the quality of care in underserved populations: a literature review.

Organizations in underserved settings are implementing or upgrading electronic health records (EHRs) in hopes of improving quality and meeting Federal goals for meaningful use of EHRs. However, much of the research that has been conducted on health information technology does not study use in underserved settings, or does not include EHRs. We conducted a structured literature search of MEDLINE to find articles supporting the contention that EHRs improve quality in underserved settings. We found 17 articles published between 2003 and 2011. These articles were mostly in urban settings, and most study types were descriptive in nature. The articles provide evidence that EHRs can improve documentation, process measures, guideline-adherence, and (to a lesser extent) outcome measures. Providers and managers believed that EHRs would improve the quality and efficiency of care. The limited quantity and quality of evidence point to a need for ongoing research in this area.