Adam Sniezek Canfield Fair 9-1-17

On Friday I attended the Canfield fair to help take blood pressures for the public. After
signing in at the desk, I found a seat next to one of my peers, making sure the blood pressure cuff
provided was in working order. Within a few minutes I had someone who wanted their blood
pressure taken. After taking people’s blood pressures, I would ask if they preferred to have their
numbers written down for future reference. Only about half of the people did. Many people
would ask if their blood pressure reading was good, and I would then reference the chart and tell
them exactly where they fit among the categories. There was a good mix of people who were in
the healthy and pre-hypertensive ranges. Only a few people were in the category for stage 1
hypertension. One of my last individuals was in the range of hypertensive crisis. This
individuals reading was 210/140. I thought maybe what I was reading was wrong, as I had never
experienced anyone even remotely close to this number before, so I called over the clinical
supervisor and had them check to make sure. After we had completed the two hours, we put our
blood pressure cuffs back in their respective pouches and cleaned our chairs off with disinfectant
wipes.
One course objective that was demonstrated in this clinical was the community being a
setting for all levels of health care delivery. Walking into the medical building there were many
different organizations from the community being represented. Some examples include the
Eastern Regional Kidney Foundation, the American Red Cross, and Hospice of the Valley.
There were also booths for dental, planned parenthood, and diabetes organizations. Every
organization had various pamphlets or papers that gave information on what they offered to the
community, and I also saw many people stopping at the booths to ask questions. The Canfield
Fair was a great opportunity for these health organizations to branch out into the community,
allowing them to gain more visibility to the general public, who may have not even heard of
them if they had not gone to the fair. The other course objective that was demonstrated by
attending the fair was the ability to apply educational theory, principles and strategies when
teaching individuals, and family at health fairs. Many people had questions about their blood
pressure readings that we had to answer. One person, for example, asked the student next to me
Adam Sniezek Canfield Fair 9-1-17

why their bottom, or diastolic, number was on the higher side. My fellow student answered them
appropriately by saying there was more pressure being put onto the artery walls by the blood in
between heartbeats. Another person, whom I had, stated that he was recently prescribed
Lisinopril for hypertension. After taking his blood pressure, I affirmed him that the medication
seemed to be doing its job, because his readings were in the normal range. The most helpful
education that was provided though was to the person I had mentioned earlier that was in range
for hypertensive crisis. The clinical supervisor provided this education, so at the same time that
she was educating the person of the community, it was also very educational to me.
I knew a very high blood pressure was a bad thing, but I did not know exactly how bad it
was. Before the clinical supervisor even said anything, I immediately saw in her face the gravity
of the situation. She waited a few minutes, to let the person rest and calm down, and then came
back to recheck it. After reconfirming the values, she described the implications. She suggested
that he go directly to the hospital or to his primary medical provider to get treatment. She told
him that he was in immediate danger of having a stroke. She also mentioned that the doctor
should check to make sure kidney function was still intact, as the high blood pressure could lead
to kidney failure. She then mentioned that there were certain medications that the doctor could
give to quickly bring the values into normal range. I did not know the severe implications of
such high blood pressure and what could be done to treat it. I now know that it is something that
requires immediate attention, as it is something that is potentially life threatening.