Majority of patients who visit ER after self-measurement for high blood pressure get discharged: ICES

Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) research reveals that the number of patients who visit the ER with elevated blood pressure has been on the rise for the last decade and most of those patients are discharged home. The study, which examines the number of patients who present at an ER after taking a self-measurement blood pressure test, finds:

• In half of the patient charts viewed, it was documented that the patient had taken a self-measurement blood pressure device reading prior to coming to the ER; 40.9% had taken a home blood pressure reading, while 8.3% had taken a reading at a pharmacy; and
• Among the patients who presented at an ER following a self-measurement blood pressure device reading, 97% were discharged back home at the end of the visit, compared to 11.2% for the rest of the patients.