Hypertension
I have been providing treatment to a client for two semesters, who we will refer to as Mr. Smith that has controlled hypertension. His readings are consistently between 130-150 for systolic pressure and 80-90 for diastolic pressure. I spoke with his family physician and she assured me that Mr. Smith sees her on a regular basis and that his blood pressure readings are usually in the stage 1 of hypertension category. She also told me not to worry because he takes his medication regularly and has a check up once a month. Mr. Smith would also explain to me that he sometimes experiences the “white coat effect” and that because of this it could make his blood pressure more elevated. One evening during a clinic session I routinely took Mr. Smith’s blood pressure prior to debridement and it read 204/102 mmHg. I was definitely alarmed and took another reading after five or so minutes had passed. The next reading was still around 200/100 mmHg. I informed Mr. Smith of the situation and explained that I would have my instructor take his blood pressure to be sure. Mr. Smith did not seem too concerned with what was going on; even though he was well aware from seeing his physician so frequently that this was definitely a high reading. My instructor came and took it again and the reading was now 203/102 mmHg. I know that was in stage 3 of hypertension, and that Mr. Smith should definitely be escorted to emergency. I communicated my concerns to him in a very calm and collected manner so that I did not alarm him anymore then needed as he was already quite upset. He was aware that his blood pressure was too high to do any invasive treatment, but there was a disconnect pertaining to the importance of his overall health because of his high blood pressure. I informed him about the severity of this reading and because of this new knowledge he gained he reluctantly agreed to come to the UBC hospital with me. If I had not of communicated in such a calm and professional manner with my client while relaying the information to him, he might not have understood how potentially dangerous the situation actually was, and therefore may not have gone to the hospital either.