P067 HOME BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS ARE NOT PERFORMED ACCORDING TO GUIDELINES AND STANDARDIZED EDUCATION IS URGENTLY NEEDED: A MIXED-METHODS STUDY AMONG AUSTRALIAN ADULTS

Background and Objective. Home blood pressure (BP) measurement should be undertaken according to guideline recommendations to ensure accurate BP measurement. Patient education is required to provide knowledge and skills for home BP measurement. However, little is known about how BP is measured at home and what education is provided to patients, which was the aim of this study. Methods. A 30-item survey (n=350) and interviews (n=34) among Australian adults who measure BP at home (June–December 2023). Survey questions included steps taken and education received for home BP measurement. Interviews were conducted among a purposive sample to explore survey topics in detail. Results. No participants reported always undertaking home BP measurement according to all the guideline recommendations (Figure 1). However, most participants measured BP seated (n=316, 90%), with the cuff on a bare arm (n=269, 77%) and legs uncrossed (n=232, 66%). In addition, most participants recorded their BP measurements (n=280, 80%) and reported them to a medical professional (n=232, 79%). Interview participants reported measuring BP in an ad-hoc manner, using different steps each time they measure BP at home. “I [measure BP] at different times of the day after doing different things”. Only 37% (n=112) participants received education for home BP measurement. Interview participants who received education described healthcare practitioners giving verbal instructions for BP measurement. However, there were no differences in performing home BP measurement according to guideline recommendations between participants that received education and those that did not. In the absence of education, many interview participants described mimicking BP measurement methods of their healthcare provider. “I do it the way I’ve seen them do it”. Conclusions. This study found that home BP measurement is not performed according to guideline recommendations and standardised, high-quality education is rarely delivered on how to measure BP at home. These findings highlight an urgent need for effective education strategies to support high-quality home BP measurement to appropriately inform BP management.