How important is it for staff of elderly care homes and home care staff to be educated on the importance of measuring correct Blood Pressure?
As technology is progressing, new devices for capturing vital signs are being developed. Most analog machines are being replaced with digital recorders and cloud-based applications.
The larger point of debate is, how many people are actually aware on the right procedures to use over the counter medical/health monitoring devices?
Be it a family carer, paid care staff or any individual, we all have started using easy to use health monitoring devices. Simple devices like Blood Pressure Monitor, Pulse Oximeter, Blood Glucose Monitor have become household necessities.
The trend of using self-monitoring devices gained traction during the COVID 19 and in my opinion this trend will only grow.
While it is always advisable to regularly monitor health parameters, however it is critical that the user is aware of the correct way to use these devices.
Unfortunately in a country like India, a lot of caregivers are not properly trained or professionally qualified.
Since many care staff come from the hinterlands who cannot read or understand English or Hindi, hence it crucial that easy to read and understand guidelines on basic medical and health monitoring devices should be developed.
The attached pictorial guide on Blood Pressure monitoring by Clinical Skills Ltd is a well-designed document.
The document can be downloaded here (Measuring Blood Pressure) or can be viewed below