One in three people with abnormal blood pressure values, although only 5% declared in their history that they had zdiagnosed hypertension. The vast majority were unaware that they had inadequate blood pressure values. Among other things, these are the data presented in the summary of this year's edition of Servier's social campaign for the Heart, during which the Mobile Cardiology Clinic visited Polish cities enabling their inhabitants to undergo free preventive examinations, including specialised ones such as heart ECHO and ECG. The campaign also involved the creators of the channel "Najpropie Mówiąc", who presented the diversity of the subject of hypertension - from the causes of its occurrence, through the principles of prevention and the consequences of inadequate control, to the therapeutic benefits of the patient's cooperation with the doctor in the treatment process.
This year's edition of Servier's Campaign for the Heart began in a unique way - with the official launch of the Guinness World Record in the highest number of simultaneous self-reported BP measurements. The next step was to create a common declaration "For the sake of healthy hearts of Poles"signed by representatives of the medical community, experts, representatives of patient organisations, policy makers and representatives of the media, united in the common idea of raising public awareness of the risks of cardiovascular diseases through widespread education and the promotion of healthy lifestyles.
The Servier for the Heart campaign is all about education and promoting prevention. This has been the case for 20 years now and was consistently implemented this year as well. The inhabitants of the cities visited Mobile cardiology outpatient clinic (Tarnowskie Góry, Przemyśl, Zawiercie and Poznań) had the opportunity to take advantage of free preventive examinations for cardiovascular diseases, including: measurement of blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol levels and determination of the body mass index (BMI). In justified cases, there was an opportunity for cardiology consultation and extended specialist diagnostics. Increasing the reach of these activities was the launch of Servier Virtual Cardiology Clinicwhich, via the Telemedico helpline, offered a package of screening tests at laboratory points available in the furthest corners of Poland and teleconsultation of the results. A total of 530 people benefited from the tests and consultations offered in the Campaign.
As part of the Campaign, numerous experts built awareness of the benefits of good patient-physician collaboration, specifically highlighting the role of the patient in a successful therapeutic process, while emphasising the importance of conducting self-monitoring of blood pressure at home. This resonated clearly during this year's Servier for Heart social campaign, becoming a practical signpost on the road to a healthy heart. Just three steps to have a blood pressure#subcontrolled:
- vigilance for symptoms and risk factors;
- regular measurements;
- compliance with treatment recommendations.
This year's edition of the Campaign has come to an end, but educational materials are available to patients throughout the year. Among them you can find:
- vademecum for the hypertensive patient, a practical guide for people just after diagnosis and those who have been treating hypertension for many years (available at www.dbajoserce.pl);
- educational videos with expert commentary on prevention, risk factors, the consequences of untreated hypertension and the role of patient-doctor cooperation in the therapeutic process (available at Youtube channel);
- educational video made by the creators of the channel "Simply put", taking a closer look at various aspects of hypertension (available on Youtube channel).
"For 20 years, as part of the Servier for the Heart campaign, we have been striving to create a future full of health and joy. Despite the passing of the years, our mission remains as relevant and relevant as when we started it. We continue to face the challenge of cardiovascular disease and wish to continue our efforts to educate and encourage preventive screening. We need to be aware that what we eat, how we live - our habits, behaviours, choices - have an impact on our future. Through the Campaign, we aim to encourage the conscious exclusion of risk factors from our lives. We believe this makes a huge difference in effectively reducing the impact of cardiovascular disease." - underlines Ewa Ciepałowicz, CSR and Internal Communication Manager of Servier Polska, representative of the campaign organiser.
Two decades of building public health awareness and promoting the prevention of cardiovascular disease have, during this anniversary edition of the Servier for Heart campaign, been repeatedly recognised and honoured by both the scientific community, healthcare experts and the patient community:
- Jubilee Award of the Polish Society of Cardiology;
- Golden Otis Trust Award 2023 in the prevention and education action category;
- Patientcentred Leader 2023.
This year's campaign received substantive support from the Polish Cardiac Society and the Polish Hypertension Society.
The campaign was sponsored by: We Patients Foundation, the Institute for Patients' Rights and Health Education and the National Association of Patients with Heart and Vascular Diseases "EcoSerce".
Read more about the campaign at www.dbajoserce.pl and www.facebook.com/dbajoserce.