Abstract Body: Background: In response to the 2020 Surgeon General’s call to action for HTN control, this study examines a unique intervention leveraging public libraries to promote self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) access. Although the American Heart Association (AHA) advocates for SMBP as a crucial tool for HTN diagnosis and management, it remains underutilized. Partnering with libraries nationwide, the AHA provides SMBP devices at no cost in non-clinical settings. This study, the first of its kind, aims to evaluate SMBP access in public libraries by comparing SMBP alone versus SMBP combined with blood pressure screening, education, and case management.
Methods: A multidisciplinary team of health sciences professionals at a large academic medical center partnered with suburban public libraries to design, implement, and evaluate a HTN intervention. In 2021, the AHA of Long Island, New York, distributed 689 SMBP devices within an educational kit to 53 public libraries for patron checkout. A subset of these libraries (n=15) implemented the Stony Brook Medicine Healthy Libraries Program (HeLP), in which an interprofessional team of faculty-supervised students from nursing, physician assistant, social work, and public health provided patrons’ with BP screenings, health education, and case management. Using a quasi-experimental design, SMBP kit usage over a 24 month period was compared between libraries offering only SMBP access (n= 32) and those offering SMBP and HeLP interventions (n= 15).
Results: Among 852 BP screenings conducted, 56% (n=474) were “high” per AHA guidelines. Of these high readings, 56% (n=268) of individuals reported previously being told they had high BP by a healthcare provider, while 38% (n=180) had not received such a diagnosis, and 38% (n=182) reported current use of antihypertensive medications. The SMBP kits were borrowed a total of 1,653 times, averaging 2.26 checkouts per month. Notably, HeLP locations showed a significantly higher average monthly SMBP borrowing rate (M=3.32, STD 1.85), nearly twice that of SMBP-only locations (M=1.80, STD 1.42) (p = 0.0055).
Conclusion: Public libraries offering integrated BP screenings, health education, and case management demonstrate significantly higher SMBP kit usage, underscoring the impact of comprehensive, co-located health services. The AHA’s investment in expanding SMBP access through public libraries is effectively enhanced by pairing these resources with supportive HTN education and case management.