Course Detail

This practice program is undergoing essential updates related to the JNC VIII changes. Look for updates soon.

Hypertension, often referred to as the "silent killer", affects millions of Americans annually and is the leading cause of stroke and renal failure. Hypertension is often accompanied by other co-morbid conditions such as diabetes, heart failure and renal disease. There are numerous medications that can treat high blood pressure and select medications are preferred over others based on an individual's co-morbid conditions. Health care providers must be aware of preferred treatment strategies (pharmacological and non-pharmacological) in order to reduce the risk of complications of hypertension. This course provides an overview of the pharmacist's management of hypertension including how to design a treatment and monitoring plan based on one's co-morbid conditions. This course also reviews literature that shaped current hypertension treatment recommendations and provides a series of case scenarios to refine pharmacist's skills in designing an anti-hypertensive regimen.

Learning Objectives

Part 1

1. Discuss the principal outcomes of the ALLHAT trial and how these findings influence the management of hypertension;
2. Discuss the clinical outcomes associated with antihypertensive therapy in those 80 years of age or older based on the results of the HYVET trial; and
3. Describe the clinical benefits of tight blood pressure control in those with type 2 diabetes based on the results of the UK Prospective Diabetes Study Group.

Part 2

1. Identify complications of hypertension and the role of antihypertensive therapies in reducing these complications;
2. Classify blood pressure (BP) readings according to the Joint National Committee (JNC) guidelines;
3. State BP goals for individual patients based on JNC and American Heart Association recommendations;
4. Identify pharmacological treatments that are appropriate based on specific demographic or clinical conditions; and
5. Design a hypertensive regimen for a patient with and without compelling indications.

CE: 3.0 Contact Hours
Universal Activity Numbers (UANs):
0025-0000-12-327-H01-P
0025-0000-12-334-H01-P
Course Number: KE-CN#CVD002
Instructor: Kristin Watson, PharmD, BCPS, Associate Professor, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
Fee: $75.00

This course is sponsored in part by an educational grant from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Institute for a Healthiest Maryland.

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