Barbershops as a Point of Care for Black Men with Hypertension?

Significant reductions were seen in systolic BP, indicating that nontraditional settings may be useful in chronic disease management.

Uncontrolled hypertension is a major problem in the United States; identifying nontraditional settings in which the problem can be addressed may lead to improved blood pressure (BP) control. Investigators in Los Angeles evaluated a program to manage BP in 319 black male barbershop patrons with hypertension (systolic BP ≥140 mm Hg) from 52 black-owned barbershops. Barbershops (rather than individual patrons) were assigned to either a pharmacist-led intervention or an active control approach. In the intervention group, barbers encouraged patrons to meet with specialty-trained pharmacists in the barbershops, and the pharmacists then prescribed drug therapy in consultation with the participants' doctors. In the control group, barbers encouraged…

Reviewing Author

Karol E. Watson, MD, PhD, FACC

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBoehringer Ingelheim; Amgen; Novartis; Lilly; Amarin

Speaker’s BureauBoehringer Ingelheim

Grant/Research SupportNIH

Editorial BoardsCirculation (Associate Editor)

Karol E. Watson, MD, PhD, FACC

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBoehringer Ingelheim; Amgen; Novartis; Lilly; Amarin

Speaker’s BureauBoehringer Ingelheim

Grant/Research SupportNIH

Editorial BoardsCirculation (Associate Editor)

Barbershops as a Point of Care for Black Men with Hypertension?

Topics

Reviewing Author