ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Feasibility of Partnering with Emergency Medical Services to Identify People at Risk for Uncontrolled High Blood Pressure
The mailer is full color, includes a photograph of the recipients’ local EMS team, includes a list of participating fire stations on the reverse side, is entitled “High Blood Pressure Alert,” and includes the message, “We are concerned about the high blood pressure measurement we recorded for you during a recent 9-1-1 visit. Below this message is a blood pressure chart giving values for ranges for systolic and diastolic blood pressure. For systolic blood pressure, the chart lists normal (below 120 ), prehypertension (120-140), hypertension stage 1 (140-160), and hypertension stage 2 (160 and above). For diastolic, the chart lists normal (below 80), prehypertension (80-90), hypertension stage 1 (90-100), and hypertension stage 2 (100 and above). Below the chart there is the following message: “Please come to one of the fire stations listed on the back of this card for a free blood pressure check.”
Figure. Mailer sent to recipients of emergency medical services who had a recorded systolic blood pressure of ≥160 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure of ≥100 mm Hg. The mailer is the size of a business envelope and includes a list of participating fire stations on the reverse side. On half the brochures that will be mailed to residents, the actual blood pressure values of the patient will be listed in an attempt to further increase perceived susceptibility to uncontrolled HBP. The brochure also includes information on the benefits of blood pressure monitoring and treatment.
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