Patient use of blood pressure self-screening facilities in general practice waiting rooms

I am grateful to Professor Smith who, in his response to Tompson et al ’s article on the use of blood pressure self-screening in general practice,¹ raises an interesting target population for such a scheme.² Although I agree that the only reason a young, healthy woman may see a health professional is to request a repeat prescription for the combined oral contraceptive pill, it is precisely because of this that I would argue that it is imperative to keep such appointments. Currently, the NHS offers free chlamydia screening tests for under-25s; the reason, of course, is that this age group is at the highest risk of acquiring this sexually-transmitted infection. Chlamydia is asymptomatic in approximately 80% of cases, yet has devastating health consequences such as pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, and tubal factor infertility. So, how can we afford to lose this guaranteed contact with the medical profession in light of our reliance on opportunistic testing for this population?