Viera Anthony J, Cohen Lauren W, Mitchell C Madeline, Sloane Philip D
Department of Family Medicine, UNC Chapel Hill, USA.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2008 Oct 22;8:216. doi: 10.1186/1472-6963-8-216.
Blood pressure (BP) monitors are commonly stationed in public places such as pharmacies, but it is uncertain how many people with hypertension currently use them. We sought to estimate the proportion of hypertensive patients who use these types of monitors and examine whether use varies by demographic or health characteristics.
We conducted a cross-sectional mail survey of hypertensive adults enrolled in a practice based research network of 24 primary care practices throughout the state of North Carolina. We analyzed results using descriptive statistics and examined bivariate associations using chi-square and independent associations using logistic regression.
We received 530 questionnaires (76% response rate). Of 333 respondents (63%) who reported checking their BP in locations other than their doctor's office or home, 66% reported using a monitor stationed in a pharmacy. Younger patients more commonly reported using pharmacy monitors (48% among those < 45 years vs 35% of those over 65, p = 0.04). Blacks reported using them more commonly than whites (48% vs 39%, p = 0.03); and high school graduates more often than those with at least some college (50% vs 37%, p = 0.02). In multivariate analysis, younger age (aOR 1.49; 95% CI 1.00-2.21 for those age 45 to 65 years vs those > 65 years old) and high school education (aOR 1.74; 95% CI 1.13-2.58) were associated with use of pharmacy-stationed monitors, but Black race was not. Patients with diabetes, heart disease, or stroke were not more likely to use pharmacy-stationed monitors.
Hypertensive patients' use of BP monitors located in pharmacies is common. Younger patients, Blacks, and those with high school education were slightly more likely to report using them. Because use of these monitors is so common, efforts to ensure their accuracy are important.
血压监测仪通常安置在药店等公共场所，但目前尚不清楚有多少高血压患者使用这些监测仪。我们试图估算使用此类监测仪的高血压患者比例，并研究其使用情况是否因人口统计学特征或健康特征而异。
我们对北卡罗来纳州全州24家初级保健机构组成的实践研究网络中登记的高血压成年患者进行了横断面邮件调查。我们使用描述性统计分析结果，并使用卡方检验检查双变量关联，使用逻辑回归分析独立关联。
我们共收到530份问卷（回复率76%）。在333名（63%）报告在医生办公室或家中以外的地点测量血压的受访者中，66%报告使用了安置在药店的监测仪。年轻患者更常报告使用药店监测仪（45岁以下患者中为48%，65岁以上患者中为35%，p = 0.04）。黑人报告使用监测仪的频率高于白人（48%对39%，p = 0.03）；高中毕业生比至少上过一些大学的人更常使用（50%对37%，p = 0.02）。在多变量分析中，年龄较轻（45至65岁患者与65岁以上患者相比，调整后比值比为1.49；95%置信区间为1.00 - 2.21）和高中教育程度（调整后比值比为1.74；95%置信区间为1.13 - 2.58）与使用药店安置的监测仪有关，但黑人种族无关。患有糖尿病、心脏病或中风的患者使用药店安置的监测仪的可能性并不更高。
高血压患者使用药店中的血压监测仪很常见。年轻患者、黑人以及高中教育程度的患者报告使用监测仪的可能性略高。由于这些监测仪的使用非常普遍，确保其准确性的努力很重要。
