Expanding Patients’ Role in Hypertension Care

For each 10 millimeter drop toward normal systolic blood pressure, research tells us that heart disease mortality risk drops by an average of 30 percent. New internet-based hypertension interventions are proving they could produce this steep, impressive decline. How can these web initiatives help our patients take a more active role in their care? If patients are based at home, how can we ensure that they are following proper protocol for taking blood pressure measurements? Host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill takes a closer look at these issues and more with Dr. Beverly Green, an affiliate investigator at the Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle, and the lead author of research published in JAMA on innovative web-based interventions for patients with uncontrolled hypertension.