News Brief
Can a pharmacist and a secure website help patients keep blood pressure under control? Since that is a major medical problem for millions of people, this is good news insofar as it has been shown to work.
A clinical trial is the first stage in examining this method. Don’t expect it from your local pharmacist anytime soon.
Interventions “Participants were randomly assigned to usual care, home BP monitoring and secure patient Web site training only, or home BP monitoring and secure patient Web site training plus pharmacist care management delivered through Web communications.”
Main Outcome Measures “Percentage of patients with controlled BP (<140/90 mm Hg) and changes in systolic and diastolic BP at 12 months. Results: “Pharmacist care management delivered through secure patient Web communications improved BP control in patients with hypertension.”
Conclusion “Pharmacist care management delivered through secure patient Web communications improved BP control in patients with hypertension.”
Citation: JAMA. 2008;299(24):2857-2867.
Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00158639