This visual aid, based on principles of health literacy, consists of a color thermometer and recognizable faces from smiling to frowning to indicate the patient's current blood pressure. It is used as a tool to educate patients with hypertension about the importance of managing to their treatment goals. 

The visual aid provides hypertension patients with an easy tool to understand not only what their blood pressure measurement is currently, but also what their goals are for managing their hypertension, why it is important to obtain these goals, and how they can participate in their own care. 

Visual aids such as these can also enhance patient-physician communication and facilitate a working partnership between the providers and patients in the treatment of hypertension or other chronic conditions.

Patient self-confidence is an important factor to activate patients in their own self-care. To improve patient self-confidence levels and hypertension treatment compliance rates, Dr. Scott Anders at CareSouth began testing the use of the blood pressure visual aid  to help patients understand their blood pressure levels as well as the importance of managing to their treatment goals.

See the related Improvement Report:

Download the tool for complete instructions.