In an update to their 2007 reaffirmation recommendation statement, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) finalized Grade A recommendations for blood pressure screening of adults. The use of ambulatory blood pressure management (ABPM) is recommended to confirm a diagnosis of hypertension outside of the clinical setting before treatment begins. (The exception to this recommendation is for cases in which therapy should begin immediately.) Further, adults 40 years of age and older and those at higher risk should undergo screening every year after a normal blood pressure finding; others can be screened every 3 to 5 years.
In response to public comments that were received after the draft version of the recommendation statement was released in December 2014, the USPSTF acknowledges there are barriers to implementing their recommendation of utilizing ABPM due to availability and affordability. In response, their final recommendation is “to include home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) as an alternative method for confirmation of a diagnosis of hypertension when ABPM is not feasible.”
To learn more, plan to attend the Hypertension and Cardio-Renal Syndrome session at the 10th Annual CMHC on Friday, October 23, and read more on the USPSTF recommendations here.
