Main themes
Emerging themes were organised under three main headings: ‘self and living with hypertension’, ‘self-monitoring behaviour and medication’, and ‘the GP–patient transaction’ with a further focus of identifying similarities and differences between self-monitors (SMBP) and non-self-monitors (non-SMBP).
Self and living with hypertension
Participants’ own role in looking after personal health was commonly expressed irrespective of whether they self-monitored or not and was framed within a variety of lifestyle-improving health behaviours:
‘ … I wanna keep fit so I walk to keep fit because I’m a great believer of if don’t use it you lose it, so I do walk a lot I mean it’s getting more and more difficult the older I’m getting but I’m still doing it, and while I can I will, but I think that helps the blood pressure as well.’
(P1, SMBP, 68 years)
The long-term nature of hypertension treatment seemed to manifest in minimal concern emotionally about having high BP:
‘I mean over 30 years things have changed you know and perhaps things could be altered now, but I was told at the time [of diagnosis] that you will have to take these tablets for the rest of your life.’
(P2, SMBP, 76 years)
‘I’m not worried about high blood pressure, I can’t be, there is enough to worry about in life.’
(P6, SMBP (used to), 65 years)
Low concern was more prevalent in older patients irrespective of whether patients self-monitored or not:
‘I just give it up if I think I can’t control it … see when you reach the age of where I am there is nothing, if you cannot solve the problem leave it’.
(P3, SMBP, 79 years)
‘... well when you have been taking something for 20 years, you think well it’s great don’t you and you think well that’s the answer but I dunno.’
(P5, Non-SMBP, 74 years)
For those not self-monitoring, taking medication appeared to act as a protective mechanism enabling patients to forget they had high BP:
‘... otherwise it’s [high BP] never had any real effect on me, I don’t think you know not psychologically or anything like that you know I’ve never really took that much notice I just take my tablets and get on with life.’
(P8, Non-SMBP, 66 years)
‘... no not really, no I don’t really think about it [having high BP] other than taking medication.’
(P10, Non-SMBP, 59 years)
Though patients had minimal concerns about living day to day with hypertension, a great deal of concern ensued about the long-term consequences of having hypertension:
‘... yeah but I think stroke is one of them … well we have had quite a lot of heart trouble in the family and also strokes and I think that’s why it’s important that I watch my blood pressure because of strokes.’
(P1, SMBP, 68 years)
‘I know that if it’s too high it can cause heart attack or a stroke which I was warned when they first found out that I had got high blood pressure … because you see my father died with a stroke and he used to suffer with bad headaches and I used to think well is it anything to do with it ... you will either die with stroke or heart attack’
(P2, SMBP, 76 years)
Measuring BP at home allowed people to feel more in control and appeared to alleviate worry caused by the uncontrollable aspects of an asymptomatic condition:
‘... yeah and the doctors I think you know knowing that both of them [parents] had strokes and also had high blood pressure … it was fear because I didn’t want a stroke … yes it … I’m not so worried now.’
(P4, SMBP, 62 years)
‘... it is very important extremely important because high blood pressure is a silent killer and you could have a stroke or cerebral haemorrhage if suddenly it’s gone up so therefore it’s important the person should be closely monitored either taught by medical staff or frequently checked.’
(P16, SMBP, 78 years)
Self-monitoring behaviour and medication
Opinion diverged about taking medication. Those not self-monitoring were more laid-back about having high BP and accepting of taking medication to control it. Those self-monitoring, however, appeared to do so as a means to delay seeking treatment:
‘ … my friend said you must go the doctors and get medication. Because I’m not a tablet person all my life I don’t pill pop I don’t like all the pills people take. Do you know what I mean? Pain killers, things like that … so I didn’t want to go the doctors at first I did try other things before I went to the doctors because I didn’t want to start on the pill march, you know, like you start at a certain age everybody’s taking pills you know’.
(P4, SMBP, 62 years)
The most described reason for self-monitoring was for reassurance that treatment was working in helping to control blood pressure:
‘ … it’s a safeguard in a way … I get peace of mind to know that my blood pressure is more or less they say on a level.’
(P2, SMBP, 76 years)
‘ … say if the person that doing it know he has a high reading then he will worry, but if you got somebody who don’t know they would worry them because they don’t know, because it’s high they don’t know, they don’t care and then they die.’
(P3, SMBP, 79 years)
There was however concern from some about what they would do if they obtained a high reading. One participant who was a retired nurse stated:
‘... well it entirely depends on the person ... you could recommend it to someone who was a bit of a hypochondriac type and if they got a reading that was just a little bit you know it would depend on how well I knew the person … if you recommend it to a patient who was highly strung anyway and they see it’s say only a couple of digits above what it should be they would go into a blind panic and get high blood pressure anyway’.
(P1, SMBP, 68 years)
Uncertainty about interpretation was irrespective of whether participants self-monitored or not:
‘... otherwise from knowing what your blood pressure is I don’t see it as any benefit to the patient because you know it’s knowing that it’s high or low it don’t really give you, well peace of mind.’
(P13, Non-SMBP, 69 years)
The GP–patient transaction
A distinct two-way perceived ‘transaction’ between the GP and patient was often described. The strength of equality in these roles for managing BP appeared to be on a spectrum from a passive recipient of care to independent carers of their own condition, with previous experience in diabetes leading to more independence:
‘... because it’s going to go up at times isn’t it according to the way you are and I am the age I am the doctor takes more care of us ... I have been quite a lot because I have had a lot of other things wrong and he always says let me take your blood pressure.’
(P9, Non-SMBP, 77 years)
‘I think what it is I don’t think he wanted to start me on blood pressure tablets because he knows that I would have been on them on for life if you know what I mean, I think that’s why he was trying to let me do it myself if you know what I mean.’
(P7, SMBP (used to), 49 years)
‘... oh yes I virtually self-regulated from day one I went they put me on insulin and then the nurse at [health centre] said that you can adjust it and told me how to adjust it and ever since then I go back to my own doctor for the check for the blood tests and everything but I do monitor and do adjust it myself.’
(P8, Non-SMBP, 66 years)
Although clear positive benefits for self-monitoring were described by patients, a mismatch existed between these beliefs and actual patient behaviour regarding communication with the GP and/or healthcare professional (HCP).
Those not self-monitoring felt strongly that it was a relatively redundant practice unless there was feedback from readings given to the GP:
‘... no, see that’s what I mean unless there is feedback to the doctor then it’s a peace of mind. But you’re still not … the doctor can’t really monitor as such ... if my blood pressure is high, if it’s really high then I should make an appointment to go and see my GP but otherwise then, I haven’t got any medical experience, somebody to advise me what to do if it is high or low.’
(P13, Non-SMBP, 69 years)
‘... with blood pressure you’d put it in the chart then and you would go back to the GP but you need the feedback because I could wait and wait or it’s going somewhere into a pile and it’s a waste of time that you are doing it’.
(P3, SMBP, 79 years)
In contrast, many patients currently self-monitoring, did so independently without telling their GP:
‘... this [points to written readings] no I don’t think he knows that I use it … no I did tell him that as I say it was the end of August with that funny turn that I had I did tell him that I took my own blood pressure and it was high but he didn’t question me about it or say well how did you do it or whatever I suppose he just presumed.’
(P1, SMBP, 68 years)
‘I haven’t ever taken readings to my doctor ... I don’t know ... no should I take it to them?’
(P4, SMBP, 62 years)
‘... well I don’t know whether the doctors like you doing it yourself or not but … I never seem to tell them.’
(P2, SMBP, 76 years)
When questioned, such reluctance to share readings appeared to relate to fear, partly from not knowing the benefits of seeking help and partly due to the assumption that all the GP could do was to put them on more or stronger medication:
‘... yes if it was going to help [seeking help] I don’t know what good it would do but I would ask about that you know, does my blood pressure readings over the next 12 months … what’s that going to do how is that going to help anybody because I can’t do nothing about my readings can I and it would concern me if it went up and down a little bit he would say well I am going to put you on stronger drugs.’
(P12, SMBP, 66 years)
‘I think what it is I don’t think he wanted to start me on blood pressure tablets because he knows that I would have been them on for life if you know what I mean I think that’s why he was trying to let me do it myself if you know what I mean because I don’t want to be on medication for life.’
(P7, SMBP (used to), 49 years)
If high readings were obtained, participants described self-directed methods of interpreting values:
‘I monitor about once a week unless I have a high reading and if I’ve got a high reading then I’ll do it as I said I will rest for a bit and then do it again.’
(P1, SMBP, 68 years)
‘... yes it wasn’t that easy to use at first but I worked it out and I must admit messed it up about twice and then I got it to come to what I wanted … if it’s nearer to what I put down first then I could check that it was closer to what it was before ...’.
(P2, SMBP, 76 years)
‘... well if I am using the machine and I get a high reading it’s either my position I’m doing something wrong because I go between what I’m supposed to have and what I get, so if I get so high that thing then I’ll do it again because it’s either me or the machine.’
(P3, SMBP, 79 years)
None of the participants attributed a higher than usual reading as a cause for concern and therefore did not state a need to go and see a doctor. This is in contrast to what non-self-monitors believed would be the most obvious next step:
‘... well if you did it at home if you’re worried about it you would probably see the doctor wouldn’t you ... sometimes I can go months because I just get a repeat prescription.’
(P5, Non-SMBP, 74 years)
Probing this aspect further, participants described receiving little enthusiasm from their GP when seeking BP-related information, and displayed uncertainty about how to interpret high readings:
‘I was hoping that because I’m going on a new pill I’m hoping that you come to a stage where you might wean off kind of thing ... but if you talk to him he says no.‘
(P5, Non-SMBP, 74 years)
‘... probably that would be good [provision of information] because you know definitely what it is when it’s going up and down but you would be back to the same thing which we know what the GP can do but that’s not really what I like but can’t be helped that’s more medication stronger medication.’
(P13, Non-SMBP, 69 years)
Lastly, the regularity of self-monitoring seemed eventually to reduce over time to a one-off basis or only on the ‘experience of symptoms’. Participants no longer monitoring revealed their reasons for not monitoring any more:
‘I just got bored with it was just a toy, that’s what I do, you know what I do I pop things and get bored … after 6 months.’
(P7, SMBP (used to), 49 years)
‘... initially it was I think it was every day just kind of seeing what the measurements would be and how is effective I was quite interested on the blood pressure.’
(P14, SMBP, 52 years)