This is the last in the Health Services Advisory Group’s (HSAG) series of technical assistance emails on improving hypertension control using the M.A.P. checklist. Use the following to walk through the M.A.P. checklist and shared evidence-based tools and resources to assist you in your practice’s efforts to improve your patients’ outcomes.
The M.A.P. checklist, developed by the American Medical Association (AMA) and Johns Hopkins Medicine, represents:
M = Measure blood pressure accurately
A = Act rapidly to reduce clinical inertia
P= Partner with parents, families, and communities.
You have Measured accurately and Acted rapidly. It is time to Partner with patients, families, and communities to control hypertension. HSAG is pleased to share best practices and resources to help your patients become involved in the management of their hypertension:
- Begin with open-ended questions about medication adherence. For example, “Can you tell me about your blood pressure medicine? When and how often are you taking it? How do you feel that it is working?”
- Explore any reasons for non-adherence. If patients state that taking multiple medications is too cumbersome or confusing, consider single-pill combination therapy.
- Ask patients about their views on options and priorities so that a custom care plan may be developed.
- Keep the conversation non-judgmental.
- Use the teach-back method to make sure that patients understand the care plan. Check out this quick video about the teach back method.
- Review proper self-measurement technique with patients. The American Heart Association (AHA) has a great instructional handout available in English and Spanish to share with patients.
- Verify that patient are correctly measuring their own blood pressure at home. Ask patients to bring their device to an appointment to verify the device’s accuracy and review proper body positioning.
- Ask patients to record two or more morning AND two or more evening blood pressure measurements for four or more consecutive days between office visits.
- Develop a systematic approach to be sure that patients can act rapidly to address elevated blood pressure measurements between office visits.
- Advise patients that any reading of 135/85 mm Hg is considered to be elevated.
- Lifestyle changes include:
- Following the DASH diet–Share this flyer with your patients.
- Getting 40 minutes per day of moderate physical activity at least four days per week.
- Maintaining a healthy body mass index (BMI)
- Limiting alcohol to a maximum of two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women.
- Quitting smoking.
- Medication adherence resources:
- What is High Blood Pressure Medicine? This flyer helps patients understand different hypertension medications.
- Supporting Your Loved One with High Blood Pressure. This flyer helps caregivers and family members support their loved one in keeping hypertension under control. Available in three formats:
- Help Patients Take Blood Pressure Medication as Directed (Video in English)
- Help Patients Take Blood pressure Medication as Directed (Video in Spanish)