STEPs to Blood Pressure Reduction.

Patients will visit with STEP clinic staff (including a stroke nurse practitioner or stroke doctor) to receive personalized goals, stroke education (including diet and exercise), instructions to self-monitor using blood pressure cuff, and prescription medications Patient will be scheduled for additional clinic follow-up or be contacted for telephone follow-up for management of your blood pressure. Questionnaires will be administered to determine medication adherence and persistence (following instructions for prescribed medication), disability, depression, cognition, self-efficacy, and sleep apnea. The care plan determined by the STEP clinic will be shared with the patient's primary care provider.

Patients will complete questionnaires related to medical history and health behaviors prior to initial visit. After being seen by the stroke neurologist, patients may be scheduled to return to the stroke clinic according the doctor's recommendations. Recommendations for blood pressure and risk factor monitoring will be sent to primary care providers.