When implementing a blood pressure management program, understand the published guidelines and don’t settle for less:

1. 2017 American Heart Association / American College of Cardiology Blood Pressure Guidelines

“..If self-monitoring is used, it is important to ensure that the blood pressure measurement device used has been validated with an internationally accepted protocol and the results have been published in a peer-reviewed journal.”

2. 2016 CDC/APhA/AMA High Blood Pressure Resource Guide for Pharmacists

“Only use clinically validated blood pressure kiosks.  Implement technology to automatically transmit data from kiosk to pharmacy computer system”

Ensure your organization is Guideline Compliant

• PharmaSmart is the ONLY blood pressure kiosk in the world backed by published, peer-reviewed evidence.
• PharmaSmart’s patented technology is clinical grade. This differentiates PharmaSmart from non-validated “recreational” blood pressure devices.  
• Importing recreational blood pressure into the patient health record is dangerous.
• Protect your patients, protect your brand. Choose PharmaSmart.

Accurate & Reliable: The PharmaSmart is a validated clinical device, considered as accurate as a well-trained BP technician. The PS-2000 has been clinically evaluated for compliance with The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation’s (AAMI) standard and to a modified British Hypertension Society (BHS) protocol. Click below to review a PDF version of the PS-2000 published clinical validation.

BP Monitoring Report – Published Clinical

PharmaSmart blood pressure kiosks are designed to measure from the left arm. Unfortunately, some patients (due to stents or other medical reasons) are unable to take blood pressure readings from their left arm. PharmaSmart has patented a process where patients may now measure their blood pressure on their right arm.

PharmaSmart equipment is designed for the “left are standard” because the National Institutes of Health and AAMI (the FDA) both stipulate that for the general screening of blood pressure, blood pressure should be taken from the left arm in a seated position at the level of the heart. They adopted this position because left and right arm blood pressure will yield different results due to human physiology. Also, the left arm, which is closer to the heart, will yield a stronger signal. They hypertension guidelines (whether you are considered hypertensive or not) are therefore based on left arm standards.

Certainly, readings from your right arm are meaningful, and your doctor may encourage you to take right arm readings for his/her analysis. However, since we are governed by the regulatory requirements and standards set forth by these organizations, all of our legacy equipment is designed to measure BP from the left arm, in a seated position, at the level of the heart. Our latest brand will now allow a simple active blood pressure measurement on your right arm.

Pharma-Smart PS-2000 Proven Accuracy

The PharmaSmart PS-2000 BP Monitor is designed to measure blood pressure in accordance with American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines for general screening: seated, brachial artery measurement at the level of the heart.

The model PS-2000 oscillometric technology and patented cuff design has been clinically evaluated for compliance with The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation’s standard (AAMI) and to a modified British Hypertension Society (BHS) Protocol. The clinical study was performed at the University of Tennessee, and the results were published in the technical research journal Blood Pressure Monitoring (vol 9, no 1).

Subjects tested ranged in age from 18 to 74, with the average age of 40. Arm size ranged from 18 to 43 cm in circumference. Resting systolic pressure ranged from 91 to 252 mmHg, and resting diastolic pressure ranged from 57 to 160 mmHg. There were 44 males, and 41 females. For each subject the readings obtained by the PS-2000 were compared with auscultatory readings obtained by two clinicians, blinded to the results of each other and the device. The manual reference measurements were alternated with the readings obtained by the device.

The study concluded: “The PharmaSmart PS-2000 met the AAMI (FDA) requirements for accuracy. Most notably, the mean difference between welltrained clinicians and the device readings were very small (0.07 systolic and –0.3 diastolic). Further, when analyzed in accordance to the BHS evaluation protocol, the PS-2000 achieved the highest grade – an ‘A’. It is well suited for its role as a high volume, self-administered blood pressure screening device.”

^{(Hypertension. 2005;45:142.) AHA SCIENTIFIC STATEMENT © 2005 American Heart Association, Inc. Recommendations for Blood Pressure Measurement in Humans and Experimental Animals Thomas G. Pickering, MD, DPhil; John E. Hall, PhD; Lawrence J. Appel, MD; Bonita E. Falkner, MD; John Graves, MD; Martha N. Hill, RN, PhD; Daniel W. Jones, MD; Theodore Kurtz, MD; Sheldon G. Sheps, MD; Edward J. Roccella, PhD, MPH Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, American National standard: Manual, electronic or automated sphygmomanometers. Arlington, Virginia: AAMI; 2002 O’Brien E, Petrie J, Littler WA, DeSwiet M, Padfield PL, Altman D, et al. The British Hypertension Society protocol for the evaluation of blood pressure measuring devices. J Hypertens 1993;11(suppl 2):S43-S63 Alpert BS. Validation of the Pharma-Smart PS-2000 public use blood pressure monitor. Blood Pressure Monitoring 2004, 9:19-23}

With traditional blood pressure cuff technology, accurate readings are obtained only if the correct size blood pressure cuff is used for a particular patient. PharmaSmart’s patented cuff is proven to be accurate for 97% of small, medium, and large-sized adult arms. The PharmaSmart cuff replaces three standard adult cuffs, and eliminates errors in cuff selection that are common with traditional equipment.  

Be Smart! Track Your Blood Pressure

Sodium is often confused with salt. They are not the same thing. Sodium is an important mineral found throughout nature in many different forms. Sodium forms salt when combined with chlorine. The body need sodium to survive, but only very small amounts. In fact, you can get your daily sodium requirements without eating any salty foods. Many fresh foods contain sodium in small amounts, and that is really all you need. Congestive heart failure makes it hard for the body to get rid of extra water and extra sodium. Since sodium holds water, it is doubly bad for patients with congestive heart failure. Reduce your sodium intake to improve your heart health. REDUCE YOUR SODIUM INTAKE: One teaspoon of salt contains over 2000mg of sodium, a whole day’s limit for some people. Add less salt to your food, as you use less you will gradually lose the taste for salty foods.

How To Use

1. To obtain your personal and confidential Smart Card ask your pharmacist.
2. Test yourself on the blood pressure kiosk – simple and easy.
3. Test Regularly – the card will store your last 30 readings and the ticket will print the average of your last 10 results.
4. Share the printed results with your pharmacist or doctor to help manage your health!

Do’s and Don’ts

• Jackets and sweater should be removed, shirt sleeves rolled down.
• Follow all directions on front panel.
• Insert arm into cuff. Your forearm should rest on the table and the cuff should always close above the elbow.
• Please sit still and do not talk during the test.
• Your blood pressure and pulse rate reading(s) will appear on the color monitor and on the printed ticket.

Facts You Should Know About Your Blood Pressure

• Fact 1: Your blood pressure constantly fluctuates.
• Fact 2: Factors that affect your blood pressure include diet, medication, physical activity, and stress level (anxiety, excitement, etc.).
• Fact 3: The best measurement of your blood pressure is an average reading over several days.
• Fact 4: If you are concerned about your blood pressure readings, please see your physician without delay.

Blood Pressure and Your Health

Blood pressure increases with age–9 out of 10 people will develop hypertension unless they lead a healthy lifestyle. There are several things that you can do to reduce your risk of hypertension and to lower your blood pressure.

How does the Smart Card work?

The PharmaSmart blood pressure Smart Card includes a memory chip, which means it stores your previous blood pressure readings. This allows you to track your blood pressure readings over time. The information on your smart card is private and confidential. Ask your pharmacist about obtaining your personal blood pressure Smart Card.

What do I need to know about the Blood Pressure Kiosk?

The PharmaSmart PS-2000 kiosk allows you to reliably track your blood pressure over time. If you use a personal Smart Card, the Kiosk will print out the average of your last 10 blood pressure and pulse readings, along with the date of each reading. It will also provide an average of your most recent 10 readings. This printed report can be shared with loved ones or your health care providers to help better manage your health.

What is the on-line Blood Pressure Tracker™?

PharmaSmart’s Blood Pressure Tracker™ web portal allows you to access all of your Smart Card readings on-line.   It also makes it easy for you to share your personal Blood Pressure Tracker™ page with your loved ones or healthcare provider. Like the PharmaSmart kiosk and the Smart Card, the Blood Pressure Tracker® portal is easy to use and 100% confidential.  

 Hypertension Canada (PharmaSmart is a member)

www.hypertension.ca

Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation

www.heartandstroke.com

American Society of  Hypertension

www.ash-us.org

Million Hearts

millionhearts.hhs.gov