Tui Te Ora administrator Beatrix Carino (front) with cardiology nurse specialists Nancy-Rae Tarawa, Kristen Willock and Tracy Low with some of the donated equipment being used by people with cardiac conditions. Image: Biddy Robb.
A small number of people with cardiac conditions can now monitor their own blood pressure during lockdown thanks to a nurse-led inspirational idea and generous iwi funding.
“The easy-to-use home monitor machines track blood pressure and heart rate measurements,” says Hauora Tairāwhiti cardiology clinical nurse specialist Nancy Tarawa.
Ms Tarawa is one of three cardiology nurse specialists. She explained that after a heart attack or any other cardiac event a person may be prescribed several medications before leaving hospital.
“The medication is vital for their recovery and ongoing health. Regular blood pressure and heart rate measurements help tell us if the medication is effective or needs changing.”
Normally, people managing cardiovascular disease come to outpatient appointments to have those measurements taken, but outpatient visits haven’t always been possible under lockdown.
“We knew we had to have some monitoring in place but the challenge was how to manage that remotely,” says Ms Tarawa. And that’s when the cardiology team had a super idea – if they had some home blood pressure monitor machines patients might be able to monitor more of their own health at home.
Knowing that iwi members would be particularly vulnerable Ms Tarawa, Rongowhakaata, contacted the chair of the Rongowhakaata iwi trust Moera Brown to see if it could help. Ms Brown encouraged Ms Tarawa to apply for financial support from Toitu Tairāwhiti - the Tairāwhiti iwi Covid-19 response collective, comprising Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga a Mahaki and Ngai Tamanuhiri.
“We wanted to help out people in our isolated communities who don’t have easy access to health care, particularly now,” Ms Brown said.
“As a collective we appreciated that Māori who fell into the cardiac patient category would be vulnerable during this time. The ability to have some way of checking blood pressure and heart rates at home made sense,” she added.
Ms Tarawa’s application was successful and less than a week later Hauora Tairāwhiti’s cardiology team took ownership of 20 home blood pressure monitoring machines worth around $3,000.
“We are so very grateful to Toitu Tairāwhiti. This type of equipment changes people’s lives especially when we are living under the COVID-19 constraints. It’s peace of mind for us and also puts the patients more at ease.”
The blood pressure machines are being given to newly discharged patients and eight machines are currently in use in the community.
Ms Tarawa says the generous donation by the iwi collective has provided a new way of working with some patients now, and into the future.
“While they do not replace the necessity of seeing a cardiovascular nurse or specialist they will become an extra way for patients to stay safe particularly for those who live further away from the hospital.”
Meanwhile, the cardiology team are still easily available to patients via email, video conferencing, and where required at the hospital.
Toitu Tairāwhiti is not the only group to get in behind hospital heart patients during lockdown. Heart Foundation NZ supplied the hospital with scales for discharged patients to use at home as they make lifestyle changes for better long term health.