PharmaSmart praises CDC position on blood pressure kiosks

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently called on pharmacists to use only clinically validated and interoperable blood pressure, or BP, kiosks. PharmaSmart, a health kiosk manufacturer and pharmacy Health IT innovator, noted that its products uniquely meet both criteria.

 

The CDC published a resource guide in December 2016 titled “Using the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process to Manage High Blood Pressure: A Resource Guide for Pharmacists.” This guide was developed by the CDC in collaboration with the American Medical Association and the American Pharmacists Association. In it, pharmacists are urged to ensure that they are measuring BP accurately, noting “inaccurate blood pressure measurements have significant public health implications because minor errors can result in the misdiagnosis of millions of people.” The guide also states that even minor measurement errors of 5 mm Hg can result in the misdiagnosis and mismanagement of over 20 million people in the US.    

 

The CDC guide includes a resource section on pharmacy BP kiosks, stating that pharmacists should “only use clinically validated blood pressure kiosks,” and “implement technology to automatically transmit data from kiosk to pharmacy computer system.” If these criteria are met, the guide instructs pharmacists to encourage patient use of the kiosk, evaluate BP levels, assess medication adherence, and “take action as appropriate.”

 

“In this guide, the CDC, the AMA, and the APhA encourage pharmacists to assert their role in team care, and intervene in cases where BP is uncontrolled — this is great news for pharmacists,” said Josh Sarkis, GM and SVP strategic business development at PharmaSmart International. Sarkis added, “We are happy to see these leading healthcare organizations promote the inclusion of trustworthy, proven, and integrated BP kiosks into the Pharmacist’s Patient Care Process.”

 

PharmaSmart is unique among BP kiosks as the only manufacturer with published clinical validation, and data interoperability with leading pharmacy software systems that allows easy, rule-based intervention during standard pharmacy workflow. 

 

Sarkis concluded, “This CDC publication is important recognition for our clients who have already invested in PharmaSmart, and who have advanced from a recreational to a clinical-grade, evidence-based hypertension management program.”