Postpartum care
The postpartum period is another crucial time for family physicians and other primary care providers to greatly impact their patients with hypertensive diseases of pregnancy.
They can work to ensure that blood pressure is closely monitored and controlled, including by prescribing diuretics, which are typically not used during pregnancy.
If a patient’s blood pressure does not go down on its own, the primary care provider can begin treatment for hypertension outside of pregnancy. This can decrease their long-term cardiac risk factors and provide control prior to any future potential pregnancies.
Providing care during this postpartum time also offers a great opportunity to again encourage lifestyle options that may decrease risk.
Family physicians and other primary care providers can also encourage their patient to be involved in registries that gather data on hypertensive disorders in pregnancy.
In the new statement, the AHA acknowledges the great number of things that are not yet known or fully understood and the health inequities that many face.
Family physicians are positioned to help advocate for their patients and utilize a team-based approach to help provide resources to patients. We must continue to be there for our patients at every stage of their lives to help them live their healthiest lives possible.
The statement also indicates that there may be genetic factors at play more than social determinants of health. It is important to identify what those are for the best care of our patients while ensuring we are doing our best to provide our patients with the resources they need.
Dr. Wheat is a family physician at Erie Family Health Center and program director of Northwestern University’s McGaw Family Medicine residency program, both in Chicago. Dr. Wheat serves on the editorial advisory board of Family Practice News. You can contact her at fpnews@mdedge.com.