Why Pharmacy-Based Screening Is More Accurate Than GP Visits

A Smarter Way to Measure Blood Pressure and Assess Cardiovascular Risk

High blood pressure is the leading modifiable risk factor for stroke, heart disease, and kidney failure. For many years, routine blood pressure readings have often been taken in busy GP clinics, where time constraints and varied conditions can affect consistency and accuracy of results.

According to the Blood Pressure Toolkit, developed by leading cardiovascular researchers at The University of Sydney, routine blood pressure readings in clinical practice are frequently inaccurate and misleading. The toolkit explains that many GP settings suffer from:

• White coat syndrome, where anxiety causes temporary elevation of BP
• Poor measurement technique, including incorrect cuff size and rushed readings
• Inadequate rest time before readings are taken
• Single readings, which are less reliable than multiple measures taken over time

The result is that many people are misdiagnosed, overtreated, or left untreated.

“The quality of BP measured in clinical settings remains poor and does not reflect best-practice guidelines.”

BloodPressureToolkit.com, The University of Sydney

Why Pharmacies Are a Better Place for BP Screening

Pharmacies offer a more relaxed and familiar environment than medical clinics. People are at ease, which improves the reliability of the readings. Pharmacy screening also provides:

• Better accessibility, including after-hours and weekend availability
• Faster service, with no long wait times or need for an appointment
• More engagement, because people are more likely to say yes to a simple check while visiting a pharmacy

Studies have consistently shown that out-of-clinic BP measurements are more representative of a person’s true blood pressure than those taken in a clinical setting.

This alone makes pharmacy-based screening a smarter choice.

But what CardiAction ProScreen screening partners like CardiAction Screening Australia (CSA) and Health Screening NZ offer goes far beyond this.

CardiAction ProScreen is Not Just Another Blood Pressure Check

CardiAction ProScreen partners have redefined cardiovascular risk screening. Our partners are not simply measuring your blood pressure. They are providing a comprehensive, technology-enabled cardiovascular risk assessment based on decades of validated science to monitor and manage arterial as well as heart health.

CardiAction ProScreen partners combines two powerful innovations:

1.     The CardiAction Platform – A New Risk Assessment Model

Developed over more than 10 years, the CardiAction Platform uses a validated algorithm to analyse your biometric data and provide a Cardiovascular Risk Indicator score. This score is not based on blood pressure alone. It incorporates insights from central haemodynamics, pulse wave analysis, and arterial health markers.

This platform offers people an early indication of their risk for heart attack and stroke, often long before symptoms appear.

2.     The BP+ Machine – Clinical-Grade Telemetry That Goes Beyond the Arm

CardiAction ProScreen partners screening services use the BP+ device, approved by both the TGA and FDA. Unlike traditional devices, this machine captures:

• Central systolic pressure, which reflects the pressure your heart and brain actually experience
• Augmented pressure, central pulse pressure and other pulse wave reflection data, offering a window into vascular health
• Real-time data, instantly interpreted through our secure platform

“Central blood pressure is a stronger predictor of cardiovascular risk than brachial pressure.”

Climie et al., European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 2023

Even people with normal arm-cuff BP can have high central pressure. That’s why our approach captures what traditional measurements miss.

3.     Professionally Delivered. Scientifically Verified.

CardiAction ProScreen partner screeners are trained to follow best-practice measurement protocols; one of the 10 key priority areas of action recently identified by the National Hypertension Taskforce to reduce cardiovascular disease.  Every reading is taken using validated equipment, with patients seated and rested, following the same principles outlined in the Blood Pressure Toolkit. The results are uploaded instantly and analysed by the CardiAction platform.

They are not providing a diagnosis. They are delivering a clinically supported cardiovascular risk assessment, designed to empower people to take action and seek medical advice if needed.

4.     Helping Australia and other Countries Catch Up

Despite decades of clinic-based screening, only 32 percent of Australians with hypertension have their condition under control. That’s less than half the control rate of Canada.

In response, the National Hypertension Taskforce of Australia has called for innovative community-based strategies to increase awareness and improve early detection. CardiAction and its partner, Cardiction Screening Australia (CSA), supports this vision by making cardiovascular risk screening:

• Convenient
• Accurate
• Accessible
• Insightful

This is not just about measuring blood pressure. It is about understanding risk and taking control of health outcomes before it is too late.

Summary: The Right Place. The Right Technology. The Right Model.

Blood pressure readings taken in pharmacies are more accurate and more accessible than those in GP clinics. That’s why leading health experts are now advocating for community-based screening as a national priority.

But CardiAction's ProScreen partners are not a traditional pharmacy blood pressure checks. They provide a clinical-grade cardiovascular risk assessment, using validated technology, scientifically backed algorithms, and a trusted screening process, monitoring both heart AND arterial health.

If you are aged 40 or over and want to stay ahead of your risk for stroke or heart attack, book your CardiAction ProScreen screening today with one of our partners at a participating pharmacy. You will leave with more than just a number. You will leave with insight.

References:

• BloodPressureToolkit.com, The University of Sydney (accessed June 2025)
• Muntner et al. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2019;73(3):317-35
• Schutte et al. Med J Aust. 2024;221(3):n-a
• Picone et al. JAMA. 2022;327(7):680-681
• Climie et al. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2023:zwad028
• Sharman et al. J Hypertens. 2015;33(9):1721–8

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