An audit to establish whether patients over the age of 65 suffering with postural hypotension are aware of the non-pharmacological options

Postural Hypotension also known as orthostatic hypotension is defined as an abnormal drop in blood pressure on standing after periods of sitting or lying down, with a sustained reduction of systolic blood pressure of at least 20mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure of at least 10mmHg. The prevalence of postural hypotension increases with age with one in five community-dwelling adults over the age of 60 years old and one in four people in long term residential care, which will ever grow with the growing elderly population. By discussing with patients on our ward it was clear that patients were aware of the pharmacological options including Midodrine or Fludrocortisone but patients were less aware of the non-pharmacological management options which are just as successful. We decided to audit whether or not the patients suffering with postural hypotension were aware of what the non-pharmacological options were and after discussing the options to hand them a poster including 4 things to avoid and 7 things they could do moving forward. The 4 things to avoid were: 1. Hot Weather 2.Hot Bath 3.Alcohol 4.Large Meals. The 6 things they could do were: 1.Sitting and standing slowly 2.Drink plenty of fluids as a bolus 3. High Salt Intake 4.Head-tilt at night 5.Abdominal Binders 6. Compression Stockings 7. Physical Manoeuvres. During my time on the ward we have had 5 individuals with postural hypotension. When asked about the non-pharmacological options the average number they were aware of was 32% to compare with 80% on the pharmacological management. This number can definitely be improved moving forward hence our use of the poster on the ward and pamphlets for patients.