Do Hemodialysis Patients Aware of the Importance of Using Home Sphygmomanometer?

Abstract

Objective: We investigated the prevalence of patients owning a home sphygmomanometer among patients on hemodialysis, the type of home sphygmomanometer, the factors that affect owning a device, and the frequency of home blood pressure monitoring. Materials and Methods: The study involved 359 prevalent hemodialysis patients from five hemodialysis centers. The data were collected by means of a questionnaire. Results: A total of 272 (75.8%) patients owned a home sphygmomanometer. Most of them have been using an automated upper-arm device. The presence of diabetes and a high education level were the independent variables that affected owning of a home sphygmomanometer. Of the patients owning a home sphygmomanometer, 23.9% measured their blood pressure every day, whereas 14.7% stated that they measured it rarely or never. Of the 87 patients not having a home sphygmomanometer, 59.8% reported no reason for not buying a device. Conclusion: A significant proportion of patients on hemodialysis owns a home sphygmomanometer, the majority of which is an upper-arm device. The rate of owning the device is higher among patients with a higher education level and among patients with diabetes. The primary reason for the patients' not buying a device is lack of information about the importance of home blood pressure monitoring.