Programme to provide blood pressure kits to pregnant women in Florida

A new programme will help women in Florida monitor their blood pressure from home during pregnancy and after birth.

Florida Blue and Florida Woman Care have teamed with the Preeclampsia Foundation to distribute Cuff Kits to maternal health providers to help pregnant women monitor their blood pressure from home.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a leading cause of maternal death in the state of Florida.

Seventy-seven percent of pregnancy-related deaths occur during the postpartum period, according to a recent state report from Florida’s Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review (PAMR).

Preeclampsia occurs in about five per cent of all pregnancies and is one of the leading causes of maternal deaths. Annually, it is responsible for more than 70,000 maternal deaths and 500,000 foetal deaths worldwide.

“Complications from hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, eclampsia, and HELLP syndrome, often go unnoticed because the symptoms mimic normal pregnancy symptoms,” said Preeclampsia Foundation CEO, Eleni Tsigas.

“The Cuff Kit programme builds a partnership between a patient and her provider to ensure she understands the importance of blood pressure monitoring, knows her numbers, and prioritises sharing it with her healthcare provider.”

The Cuff Kit programme, initially launched to support increase in telehealth monitoring, includes a pregnancy-validated home blood pressure cuff and educational materials to train patients on how to accurately take and record their blood pressure.

The programme aims to provide flexibility in use across multiple clinical settings because of its app integration capabilities and inclusion of a traditional paper blood pressure log and instruction sheet that is available in 12 different global languages.

As part of the programme, healthcare providers can opt-in to share deidentified patient data and provider perspectives to further research into self-measured blood pressure as an innovative maternal health improvement strategy.

“By identifying pregnancy-related complications early, we can ensure timely interventions that safeguard the health and well-being of both mothers and their babies,” said GuideWell and Florida Blue chief health equity officer and VP of medical affairs, Dr Kelli Tice.

“This innovative and collaborative effort underscores our shared commitment to health equity, ensuring that every mum, including those who are highest risk, has the support and resources needed for a safe and healthy pregnancy.”

The partnership seeks to engage communities of colour in the state, who are disproportionately affected by health disparities and at higher risk for pregnancy complications like preeclampsia.

Blood pressure cuff use between prenatal visits and during the postpartum period can help patients and providers identify and treat problems and lower preventable, adverse birth outcomes for mothers and babies.

Dr Aaron Sudbury, Florida Woman Care medical director, said: “Florida Woman Care is thrilled to be selected as the Cuff Kit Project partner.

“Physicians and advanced practice providers across the state are now able to provide access to critical blood pressure monitoring regardless of a patient’s economic situation.

“Our partnership with Florida Blue and the Preeclampsia Foundation will help us overcome social determinants of health barriers, reduce maternal health risks, and improve outcomes for moms and babies.”