e-Participate

Prospective Register Of patients undergoing repeated OFfice and Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (PROOF-ABPM)

The diagnosis and management of hypertension depends on accurate measurement of blood pressure in order to target treatment appropriately and avoid unnecessary healthcare costs. Traditionally, blood pressure measurement takes place in the doctor’s clinic in a general practice or hospital setting. However, it has long been recognised that taking an average of multiple readings across a 24 hour period (known as ambulatory blood pressure) estimates true mean blood pressure more accurately. Measuring ambulatory blood pressure is time consuming and expensive and so it is often avoided in routine clinical practice unless considered absolutely necessary.

The aim of the MRC funded PROOF-ABPM study was to gather information about people’s blood pressure measured in routine clinical practice and use this to establish which patients would benefit most from undergoing 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Patients were eligible for the study if they:

• were aged 18 years or older at study entry

• had been referred by their doctor for routine ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

The study ran from May 2015 up to the end of January 2017. Over 900 patients have been recruited, including 356 from Primary Care. The top recruiting practices were:

We would like to give a very big thank you to all those who participated in, and help with the PROOF-ABPM study. Without the hard work and support of practices in the West Midland, we would never have been able to recruit so successfully to the study. Data from participants are now being analysed and we expect to have study results available in the Summer of 2017.