For how long should blood pressure be monitored following a change in antihypertensive therapy?

Monitoring blood pressure following a change in antihypertensive therapy is essential to ensure the medication is effective and to watch for any potential side effects or adverse reactions. The correct option suggests that blood pressure should be monitored at least weekly until it stabilizes. This practice allows for a balance between ensuring the new therapy is achieving the desired effect and the need for timely adjustments based on the patient's response.

Frequent weekly monitoring provides the opportunity to assess trends in blood pressure readings, offering insights into how well the new medication is working or if further modifications are necessary. It reflects a proactive approach to patient management, ensuring that adjustments can be made if blood pressure remains elevated after the change in therapy.

Short-term monitoring such as once daily for a week does not provide enough data to evaluate the efficacy of the new treatment, and monitoring every two hours for 24 hours would likely be excessive for most cases and not practical. Finally, monitoring blood pressure as needed for symptoms only does not ensure adequate oversight, as many patients may not experience noticeable symptoms despite having uncontrolled hypertension. Thus, the approach of at least weekly monitoring until stability aligns well with best practices in hypertension management.