LAUSR

Objective: Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) and home BP monitoring (HBPM) are two recommended approaches for measuring out-of-office BP. We assessed the willingness and preferences of older adults taking antihypertensive medication to complete out-of-office BP monitoring with ABPM or HBPM and if differences were present across demographic characteristics. Design and method: We conducted a survey within a prospective cohort study of patients aged 65 + years who were diagnosed with hypertension and taking antihypertensive medication within a diverse integrated health care system. Enrolled participants underwent 24-hour ABPM followed by HBPM for 7 days. Participants who completed both ABPM and HBPM were asked to fill out a self-reported survey on their willingness to undergo ABPM or HBPM if their healthcare provider suggested it, and their preferences for ABPM or HBPM. Group means were compared using t-tests. Chi-square or Fisher's exact test were used to compare group proportions. Results: We included 167 participants (mean age 74.3 years [range 65–95 years]; 55.7% female; 46.7% non-Hispanic white, 16.8% Hispanic, 15.6% non-Hispanic Black and 17.3% Asian and Pacific Islander; mean research office systolic/diastolic BP 131/68 mm Hg). Overall, 84.4% and 67.1% of participants reported that they would be completely or very willing to perform HBPM for a week and a 24-hour ABPM, respectively, if their doctor thought it would be helpful to measure out-of-office BP. Also, 77.2% (n = 129) of participants preferred HBPM, 21.0% (n = 35) preferred ABPM and 1.8% (n = 3) did not have a preference. A higher proportion of females versus males preferred HBPM (Table). There were no statistically significant differences in preference for ABPM or HBPM by age, race/ethnicity or mean research office BP. Conclusions: The study results suggest that most older adults taking antihypertensive medication may be willing to undergo either ABPM or HBPM if recommended by their physician. However, HBPM was preferred to APBM.