Guidelines are implemented for a reason. Blood pressure guidelines are just one example where doctors could improve in care. There are quite a few blood pressure issues that an individual can develop. These issues range from a stroke to an aneurysm to long term heart failure. Doctors should use guidelines for managing blood pressure to address potential concerns before they become life altering.

In an editorial interview, cardiology fellow Martin van Zyl at the Mayo Clinic describes how doctors can best put guidelines on managing blood pressure into practice. Accordingly, he lays out a number of steps which doctors may use to effectively implement blood guidelines that are not always easy to adopt clinically. The steps include:

1. Obtaining Accurate Measurements

This includes automated measuring devices. These devices take multiple blood pressure measurements and then average them in order to get a more accurate assessment. Blood pressure measurements from out-of-office can provide doctors more data. This is so the doctor is not only relying on a one-time office visit.

2. Managing the Newly Diagnosed Patient

When a patient is diagnosed, it’s important to come to decisions about how to manage that patient. This includes issues around medication management, lifestyle management, or a combination of both. In order to accomplish this, it’s imperative to truly assess the patient’s history and the cause behind the diagnosis.

3. Systems Based Approach

The electronic medical record provides a significant advantage to doctors in tracking and managing patient’s medical conditions. Therefore, medical organizations need to be keen to use these records to help identify, track, and manage patients.

By using these three important considerations while managing blood pressure of their patients, doctors will create a dynamic way to manage patient care. The more that doctors are able to implement guidelines in their clinical practice, the better health care they will provide.