LONGUEUIL, Quebec — Jean Coutu Group Inc. has introduced Caution Hypertension, a new hypertension monitoring program that enables people to regulate their blood pressure in tandem with their pharmacist and their doctor.
The Canadian drug chain said Wednesday that a new automated blood pressure measuring device in all Jean Coutu network pharmacies and a memory card collect and store patient blood pressure data. The confidential information then can be accessed by patients, their pharmacist and their doctor on the Caution Hypertension web site.
Besides saving their blood pressure measurements, patients can use the memory card to print the last 10 readings on a paper coupon that can be forwarded to a doctor, according to Jean Coutu.
Patients also can consult their blood pressure record at all times on the Jean Coutu site at the Caution Hypertension section via a personal access code on the back of the card. They also can print readings from the site, as well as tables and graphics that can be used when consulting with a health care professional.
Through the web site, pharmacists affiliated with Jean Coutu Group can access patient blood pressure readings, which allows them to help patients track their blood pressure and evaluate the effectiveness of their medication, the drug chain said. Also, patients can enable their doctors to view their blood pressure measurements on the site by providing physicians with their Caution Hypertension access code.
Jean Coutu noted that the program stresses the importance of collaboration, since patients can work hand in hand with their doctor and pharmacist to improve therapy compliance in treating high blood pressure. The pharmacy operator reported that it’s estimated that the probability for a person to one day suffer from hypertension is 90%.
"Allowing people to view their blood pressure readings means allowing them to monitor the progress of their own control of their blood pressure. So far, more than 17,000 people have asked for their Caution Hypertension card," Richard Mayrand, vice president pharmacy and government affairs at the Jean Coutu Group, said in a statement.
Jean Coutu operates a network of 376 franchised drug stores in Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario under the banners PJC Jean Coutu, PJC Clinique and PJC Santé Beauté.
