[Blood pressure measurement campaign (May Measurement Month) from community pharmacies in 2018: analysis of screening...

Within the international project May Measurement Month, in Spain, the community pharmacy is where the greatest number of measurements are carried out and where the population can be made aware of the importance of regular blood pressure measurement.

To ascertain the situation of the Spanish population's blood pressure and dissemination of the importance of its regular measurement through the community pharmacies.

Cross-sectional descriptive study carried out in Spanish community pharmacies during the month of May 2018, among pharmacy users of legal age. Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were measured as main variables.

Five thousand, seven hundred and eighty-five readings were made by 891 pharmacists. One thousand, seven hundred and fifty-five (34.8%) people had not had their blood pressure measured in the last year. Of the participants, 31.2% had high blood pressure readings. Mean systolic blood pressure was 127.1±20.1 and mean diastolic blood pressure 77.5±12.5, higher in men (p<.001). There were normal blood pressure values in 3,981 (68.8%) patients; one high reading in 1,226 (21.2%); and two in 578 (10%). There were 912 (15.76%) patients with SBP≥140 and 314 (5.4%) with DBP≥90. Four (0.07%) hypertensive emergencies were detected.

Three out of ten participants had a high blood pressure reading. Therefore, protocolized blood pressure readings carried out in a health care facility such as the community pharmacy, allowed the identification of a significant number of subjects with high and untreated blood pressure.