This free course was developed in response to the evolving landscape of hypertension management in the community pharmacy setting. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hypertension affects nearly 50% of American adults, and its prevalence continues to increase. In addition, the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis predicts a growing shortage of primary care providers.
Pharmacists are well-positioned to provide additional clinical support through Self-Measured Blood Pressure (SMBP) monitoring programs. However, establishing a new clinical service in the community pharmacy setting can be challenging, given community pharmacists' already demanding workload. While knowledge gaps vary among pharmacists, they often include the practical aspects of implementing an SMBP program, such as identifying priority patient populations, selecting appropriate blood pressure monitors, developing workflows, and billing for SMBP services.
This course helps bridge these gaps by providing pharmacists with practical guidance for successfully implementing an SMBP program in the community pharmacy setting. Participants will learn how to develop workflows and protocols, select appropriate devices, educate patients, and integrate SMBP services into their practice.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Describe the benefits of a Self-Measured Blood Pressure (SMBP) monitoring program.
- Identify the SMBP monitoring activities that must be performed by a licensed clinician to meet legal and regulatory requirements.
- Design an implementation plan for an SMBP program, including device selection and management, staff roles, patient identification and recruitment, and data management.
Identify the characteristics of an appropriate blood pressure monitor for SMBP. - Describe the key topics to cover when educating patients on self-measuring their blood pressure.
- Identify methods for patients to share blood pressure readings with providers and for providers to communicate recommendations.
The University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education (CPE). This event has been accredited for up to 1.5 hours of application-based CPE for pharmacists.
0008-0000-26-088-H04-P
Release - 06/11/2026
Expires - 06/11/2029
