Difficult Hypertension Clinic Utilizing a Nurse Specialist: A Cost-Efficient Model for the Modern Era?

In the modern era in New Zealand, there has been a lack of specialist hypertension clinics where family practitioners might refer patients with difficult-to-treat or resistant hypertension. A new specialist referral hypertension clinic was established in 2009 at North Shore Hospital, Auckland, employing a model of care where much of the follow-up work is done by a nurse specialist. The authors review data from the first 1000 patients discharged from the clinic. Mean (treated) blood pressure improved by -26/12 mm Hg over an average of three visits, two thirds of which were to nurse specialist clinics. The authors propose this as a cost-efficient model that could easily be duplicated in other centers.