Measuring blood pressure in an inner city pharmacy: an attempt at coordination with general practice

Free blood pressure checks, targeted at those aged 30 to 64 years, were offered for a six week period in a small inner city pharmacy. The pharmacist invited 120 clients to take part, of whom 70 (58%) accepted. Thirty of those having the check were interviewed. All had seen their general practitioner within the last five years, and half recalled having had a blood pressure check in the preceding 12 months. The 70 clients were given a copy of the result of the blood pressure check to return to their general practitioner. On checking the general practitioner record of 40 such patients, 25 (63%) had previous blood pressure recordings in the last five years. Only 10 (25%) contained the pharmacy reading, although the records of high readings were more likely to be present. The majority of the 14 general practitioners interviewed were unenthusiastic about the scheme. These results are not favourable to the idea of blood pressure screening by pharmacists, unless it is part of a major coordinated programme.