Free check-ups for Measure Month

KEEPING tabs on blood pressure isn’t something at the forefront of most people’s minds, until it has to be.

So as part of May Measure Month, a team of La Trobe Rural Health School students has been setting up shop at Bendigo Marketplace once a week to offer free blood pressure check-ups.

The sessions are being held each Thursday from 10am to 4pm until Thursday 13 June.

Students from nursing, paramedicine, pharmacy, biomedical science (medical) and exercise disciplines are involved in the sessions.

“It’s an opportunity for La Trobe to contribute to public health, while offering our students valuable learning experiences,” a La Trobe spokesperson said.

“The goal of this initiative is to address the alarming issue of raised blood pressure, which remains the leading cause of preventable death worldwide.

“By offering accessible blood pressure screenings, we hope to raise awareness and encourage proactive health management within our community.”

May Measure Month is a global screening campaign initiated by the International Society of Hypertension.

Under the guidance of Dr Melissa Deacon-Crouch, the university’s associate professor of rural nursing, students involved in the local initiative received training on taking blood pressure in preparation for the sessions.

“The sessions have also provided students with the chance to enhance their interviewing, assessment, gaining informed consent practice, and patient education skills,” the spokesperson said.

Each student has received a certificate for their participation.

A similar session was held in Mildura last week, with another planned for Thursday, 6 June in Shepparton.

Since 2017, volunteers in more than 100 countries have screened people for blood pressure issues under the May Measure Month program.

Anyone who registers as hypertensive is given advice about what they need to do next.