Hypertension Screenings: A Survey Of The Michigan College Of Optometry.

Background: As primary healthcare providers, optometrists are an entry point into the
healthcare system for many patients. Optometrists are responsible for assessing patients’ ocular and overall systemic health, both of which can be negatively affected by
conditions such as hypertension. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the beliefs of
the primary care faculty of the Michigan College of Optometry about the importance of
screening patients for hypertension, as well as to develop a general idea of the prevalence of blood pressure screening within the Michigan College of Optometry’s University Eye Center. Methods: There were 1492 primary care comprehensive eye exams from May 1, 2007 through April 30, 2008 at the University Eye Center. This study used a random
number generator to identif’ 518 patient records to be reviewed. Data collected included
whether or not the patient had his or her blood pressure measured and if so, what may
have led to the decision to take a measurement. Surveys questioning the importance of
administering blood pressure measurements were given to the 21 primary care faculty of the Michigan College of Optometry with a 76.1% response rate. Results: Of the 518 records reviewed, only 42 (8.1%) records had a blood pressure measurement recorded. Sixty-two percent of the surveyed doctors felt that evaluating a patient’s overall systemic health was “extremely important.” However, only 6% of doctors always require their interns to perform blood pressure measurements, while 44% of doctors rarely or never require interns to administer the measurements. Conclusions: Though many of the doctors feel it is important to monitor a patient’s overall systemic health, many do not perform hypertension screenings on their patients. Possible ideas for improvements are updating the available equipment or having patients’ blood pressure measured before they are placed in the exam room.