Making self-monitored blood pressure accessible for all pregnant and postpartum moms
The Need
As many as one in twelve pregnancies are affected by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy like preeclampsia. In some regions of the country, 15-20% of pregnancies are affected. With the expansion of telehealth during the COVID pandemic, pregnant patients may not be attending all of their prenatal and postpartum visits in person. This means that blood pressure screening, recommended throughout pregnancy[i], proteinuria assessments, and a review of signs and symptoms may not happen for thousands of women each day. We also know that racial disparities have been exacerbated during the COVID pandemic. This telehealth-friendly environment provides an excellent opportunity to improve patient-provider communications and maternal healthcare practices now and for the long-term by giving women a simple, yet innovative tool to actively participate in their healthcare.
As a first step to address the need for self-monitored blood pressure, the Preeclampsia Foundation launched the Cuff Kit™ to make self-measured blood pressure cuffs with educational materials available to all pregnant and postpartum women at risk of developing preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy – especially to our most vulnerable populations.
The kit includes:
Introducing the "Check Know Share" Self-Measured Blood Pressure Education Kit
Does your facility already have blood pressure cuffs, but not the patient education materials on preeclampsia signs and symptoms or how to take their own blood pressure? We are now offering a second great option for your pregnancy and postpartum self-measured blood pressure program through our "Check Know Share" Self-Measured Blood Pressure Education Kit! Great for programs that are already accessing blood pressure cuffs through other means, this wrap-around kit gives you everything your patient needs to know how to accurately take their blood pressure:
Purchase the SMBP Education Kits
Interested in providing the Cuff Kit™ to your patients?
Participating providers must be able to:
The Cuff Project: Our Strategic Plan
The ability for all women to access healthcare during and after pregnancy has been further challenged by COVID-19, but the application of home monitoring and telehealth as an important option has garnered considerable attention. (Check out one woman's story of how a self-measured blood pressure cuff helped her detect her own preeclampisa as featured on CNN Health.) Although the Cuff Kit is an important and urgent first step, our view of this solution extends beyond the emergency response to COVID-19. There is immediate need to fund projects related to this entire scope of work:
[i] JAMA. 2017;317(16):1661-1667. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.3439
[ii] Oral presentation at the 39th Annual Pregnancy Meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Las Vegas, NV, Feb 11-16, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2019.05.011
[iii] Bello N. Hypertension. 2018;71:326-335. DOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.117.10295
Nurses play a vital role in detecting preeclampsia and caring for patient before, during, and beyond pregnancy.
A key component needed in the fight against preeclampsia is the development of tests for simple, rapid, and accurate diagnosis and prediction through the development and adoption of biomarkers.
Every woman should be able to check her own blood pressure at home.
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