Dr. Ray L. Winstead
Professor of Biology (retired), Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Blood Pressure Tracking:
Free Templates for Graphing Blood Pressure
and Pulse Rate in Microsoft Excel and OpenOffice.org Calc
Month, Twice Per Day

Click to see Newest Versions for One Month


 

Download Blood Pressure Tracker Form For Your Own Data Entry:
Download this file for Microsoft Excel      Download this file for OpenOffice.org Calc

Download This Example:
Download this file for Microsoft Excel      Download this file for OpenOffice.org Calc

These files were revised June 5, 2010 to include an improvement recommended by Michael Robichaud from Montreal, Canada for a better display of the four-day running averages for blood pressure values and pulse rate.

(Downloads are free for personal use but may not be sold.)

Instructions for Entering and displaying your own blood pressure and pulse rate (heart rate) tracking data:
     (Also see the additional suggestion by Laura Renfree from London, England at the end of the instructions.)

These files are in Excel .xls format and can be opened using Microsoft Excel or the free OpenOffice.org spreadsheet "Calc."
To download the free OpenOffice Suite go to http://download.openoffice.org/.

  1. Download and save the Blood Pressure Tracker Form from the appropriate link above, depending upon whether you plan to use
       Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice Calc. (Both types of files are in .xls format but the files will work better if used as listed above.)
       (You are also encouraged to download the example.)
  2. Open the appropriate, saved file in Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice.org Calc.
  3. After taking your blood pressure fill in the Systolic Pressure and Diastolic pressure values into the appropriate columns.
       (The difference between the Systolic Pressure and Diastolic Pressure will be calculated automatically.)
       Also enter your pulse rate (heart rate) into the appropriate column.
       (You may simply leave out the pulse rate values to omit them from the graphs.)
  4. The associated graphs will automatically update themselves (and automatically adjust their blood pressure scales, if necessary).
  5. Display a graph by clicking on either the "BP Graph in Color" tab or the "BP Graph in Black and White" tab at the bottom of
        the data entry page.  (You may return to the data entry page by clicking on the "BP Data Sheet" tab at the bottom of a page with
        a graph.)
  6. Save the file with a different name, e.g., bp-yourname-date.
  7. To change the graph title, e.g., to Blood Pressure and Pulse Rate Record - Yourname - date (e.g., 11/1-21/2008):
        a) In Excel, click once on the title to select the title, then click again on the title to be able to edit the title. 
             Edit the title and save.  (The title may be moved before or after editing by clicking and dragging the title text box.)
        b) In OpenOffice.org Calc, first double-click anywhere on the graph, then double-click on the title to edit.
             Edit the title and save.  (The title may be moved before or after editing by clicking and dragging the title text box.)
  8. The data set and graph may also be printed.  The two different graphs of the data are provided to account for the capabilities
         of different printers.
  9. As an additional feature in the One Month downloads, graphs of Four-Day Running Averages for Blood Pressure values and
         Pulse Rate are also provided .  (Note that in Excel 2007, but not in Excel 2003, the "BP Data Sheet" Tab may be covered up
         by the horizontal scroll bar on the bottom right, so you may need to grab the left edge of the scroll bar and move it to the right
         to show the data sheet tab.)

Laura Renfree from London, England suggests adding extra notes and comments about a person's activity associated with a particular blood pressure reading or readings on the graph.  Instructions to add notes:

a) In Excel:
Click on the chart.  At the top of the screen click on Insert, then click the Text Box icon (looks like a page with a letter "A").  Position the cursor anywhere on the chart and draw a text box at that location on the chart (hold down the left mouse button and drag).  Then type in your note (e.g., BP after ten-mile run on the 20th).  (The text box may be moved to a different location.)

b) In OpenOffice:  Do NOT click on the chart.  At the top of the screen click on View, then Toolbars, then Drawing, which will display the drawing tools at the bottom of the screen.  Then click on the Text Tool (looks like a T).  Position the cursor anywhere on the chart and draw a text box at that location on the chart (hold down the left mouse button and drag).  Then type in your note (e.g., BP after ten-mile run on the 20th).  (The text box may be moved to a different location.)  OR Click on a cell below the chart. Simply Type your note within that cell below the chart (e.g., BP after ten-mile run on the 20th). 

 

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Simple Solution to answering the question "Did I already take that pill earlier today?"

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