A Mobile-Phone Tele-Medicine System That Promotes Self-Management of Blood Pressure among Hypertensive Patients in Kirinyaga Sub County (original) (raw)

Supporting the self-management of hypertension: Patients’ experiences of using a mobile phone-based system

Journal of Human Hypertension, 2015

Globally, hypertension is poorly controlled and its treatment consists mainly of preventive behavior, adherence to treatment and risk-factor management. The aim of this study was to explore patients' experiences of an interactive mobile phone-based system designed to support the self-management of hypertension. Forty-nine patients were interviewed about their experiences of using the self-management system for 8 weeks regarding: (i) daily answers on self-report questions concerning lifestyle, well-being, symptoms, medication intake and side effects; (ii) results of home blood-pressure measurements; (iii) reminders and motivational messages; and (iv) access to a web-based platform for visualization of the self-reports. The audio-recorded interviews were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. The patients considered the self-management system relevant for the follow-up of hypertension and found it easy to use, but some provided insight into issues for improvement. They felt that using the system offered benefits, for example, increasing their participation during follow-up consultations; they further perceived that it helped them gain understanding of the interplay between blood pressure and daily life, which resulted in increased motivation to follow treatment. Increased awareness of the importance of adhering to prescribed treatment may be a way to minimize the cardiovascular risks of hypertension.

Development of mobile application for hypertension surveillance and telemonitoring in older persons in rural community

International journal of health sciences

Hypertension is a cause of cardiovascular complications and premature death worldwide. Prevalence of hypertension is doubled older population. Close monitoring must be promptly equipped by healthcare team without delays to preserve intact cardiovascular system. In Thailand, village health volunteers (VHVs, OSOMO in Thai) are key healthcare personnel that co-ordinate health information between the older persons and health care professionals. The VHVs have been trained to measure blood pressure, record, and submit a report to health professionals in monthly basis. However, the blood pressure records in some health areas were still incomplete due to incontiguous data collection and difficult access to the older persons. This project was aimed to develop a geographical information system (GIS)-based mobile application for hypertension surveillance and monitoring in older persons in rural community by the VHVs using the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (ADDI...

Experiences, expectations and challenges of an interactive mobile phone-based system to support self-management of hypertension: patients and professionals perspectives

Patient Preference and Adherence

Background: A well-controlled blood pressure (BP) reduces cardiovascular complications. Patient participation in care using technology may improve the current situation of only 13.8% of adults diagnosed with hypertension worldwide having their BP under control. Objective: The objective of this study was to explore patients' and professionals' experiences of and expectations for an interactive mobile phone-based system to support self-management of hypertension. Methods: The self-management system consists of: 1) a mobile phone platform for self-reports, motivational messages and reminders; 2) a device for measuring BP and 3) graphical feedback of self-reports. Patients diagnosed with high BP (n=20) and their treating professionals (n=7) participated in semi-structured interviews, after 8 weeks use of the system in clinical practice. Data were analyzed thematically. Results: The self-reporting of BP, symptoms, medication use, medication side effects, lifestyle and well-being was perceived to offer insight into how daily life activities influenced BP and helped motivate a healthy lifestyle. Taking increased responsibility as a patient, by understanding factors affecting one's well-being, was reported as an enabling factor for a more effective care. Based on the experiences, some challenges were mentioned: for adoption of the system into clinical practice, professionals' educational role should be extended and there should be a reorganization of care to fully benefit from technology. The patients and professionals gave examples of further improvements to the system, for example, related to the visualization of graphs from self-reports and an integration of the system into the general technical infrastructure. These challenges are important on the path to accomplishing adoption. Conclusion: The potential of a more autonomous, knowledgeable and active patient, through use of the interactive mobile system would improve outcomes of hypertension treatment, which has been desired for decades. Documentation and visualization of patients' self-reports and the possibilities to communicate these with professionals may be a significant resource for person-centered care.

Using Mobile-Enabled Devices for Engagement and Monitoring of Patient with Chronic Disease: Hypertensive Case

Handling of chronic disease in Nigeria health care system is perfunctory as illnesses that require long-term monitoring get very little or no attention due to lack of proper facilities to handle such cases. Use of traditional mode of patient monitoring system where patient visit hospital to see doctor is still order of the day in our hospitals. Hence result to bad management of chronic diseases and long queue in the various hospital across the nation. This research addressed the problems associated with the use of the traditional mode of engagement of patient with chronic diseases. The research is focused on design a Remote Patient Monitoring System for monitoring patients with chronic condition by healthcare provider. The system will supports and allows for greater care of patient with chronic disease like hypertension.

Mobile Phone–Based Remote Patient Monitoring System for Management of Hypertension in Diabetic Patients

American Journal of Hypertension, 2007

Rising concern over the poor level of blood-pressure (BP) control among hypertensive patients has prompted searches for novel ways of managing hypertension. The objectives of this study were to develop and pilot-test a home BP tele-management system that actively engages patients in the process of care.Phase 1 involved a series of focus-group meetings with patients and primary care providers to guide the system’s development. In Phase 2, 33 diabetic patients with uncontrolled ambulatory hypertension were enrolled in a 4-month pilot study, using a before-and-after design to assess its effectiveness in lowering BP, its acceptability to users, and the reliability of home BP measurements.The system, developed using commodity hardware, comprised a Bluetooth-enabled home BP monitor, a mobile phone to receive and transmit data, a central server for data processing, a fax-back system to send physicians’ reports, and a BP alerting system. In the pilot study, 24-h ambulatory BP fell by 11/5 (±13/7 SD) mm Hg (both P < .001), and BP control improved significantly. Substantially more home readings were received by the server than expected, based on the preset monitoring schedule. Of 42 BP alerts sent to patients, almost half (n = 20) were due to low BP. Physicians received no critical BP alerts. Patients perceived the system as acceptable and effective.The encouraging results of this study provide a strong rationale for a long-term, randomized, clinical trial to determine whether this home BP tele-management system improves BP control in the community among patients with uncontrolled hypertension.

National Health Insurance Based Telemedicine Application for Hypertension Management in Primary Level of Health Facilities

2021

Hypertension nowadays still becomes one of the severe problems in Indonesia, with a prevalence of 34% in 2018. The complication of hypertension causes the most deaths and disabilities in Indonesia and cost 75% of The Social Security Organizing Agency (BPJS) budget or IDR 15 trillion in 2019. This problem was probably caused by patients' lack of knowledge and limited personnel at the primary health centre (PHC). Telemedicine is a health care provider without any direct contact, which has various methods. Today, telemedicine in Indonesia is growing rapidly along with technology and legal regulation in its implementation, increasing users by 700% in the first year of 2020. Despite the rise of those numbers, telemedicine in PHC is still limited. Recently, the Ministry of Health and various organizations have issued telemedicine regulations at primary level health facilities in collaboration with The Social Security Organizing Agency. This review aims to discuss the current implement...

Improved Blood Pressure Control Using an Interactive Mobile Phone Support System

The Journal of Clinical Hypertension, 2015

This explorative, longitudinal study evaluated the effect of the daily use of a mobile phone-based self-management support system for hypertension in reducing blood pressure (BP) among 50 primary care patients with hypertension over 8 weeks. The self-management system comprises modules for (1) self-reports of BP, pulse, lifestyle, symptoms, and wellbeing; (2) delivery of reminders and encouragements; and (3) graphical feedback of self-reports. Daily use of the support system significantly reduced BP (systolic BP À7 mm Hg, diastolic BP À4.9 mm Hg) between baseline and week 8, with daily improvements leveling off as the study progressed. Three homogenous subsets of patients were identified who, despite different initial BP levels, showed similar decreases in BP during the study, indicating that patients benefited irrespective of baseline BP. In showing significant reductions in BP, our results suggest that the self-management support system may be a useful tool in clinical practice to help patients self-manage their hypertension.

Telemedicine and M-Health in Hypertension Management: Technologies, Applications and Clinical Evidence

Electronic processes and communication technologies are more and more often employed to provide healthcare services to caregivers and their patients. Such solutions are currently referred as e-health, the most popular and widely distributed being those based on telemedicine and mobile health (m-health). A specific application of telemedicine for hypertension management is blood pressure telemonitoring (BPT), which allows remote data transmission of BP and additional information on patients’ health status from their living site or from a community setting to the doctor’s office or the hospital. Several randomized studies have documented a significant BP reduction with regular BPT compared to usual care, particularly in high risk hypertensive patients. Additional benefits are observed when BPT is offered under the supervision of a team of healthcare professionals, including a community pharmacist. BPT may also be provided in the context of m-health solutions, which commonly include wireless diagnostic and clinical decision support tools. M-health has the potential to promote patient’s self-management, as a complement to the doctor’s intervention, and encourage greater participation in medical decision making. Current statistics show that half of smartphone owners gather health information through their phone and 19 % use a health app. In case of hypertensive patients the most popular apps are those with tracking function, including BPT. Thus, e-health, and in particular BPT and m-health, are progressively gaining a key role in the management of hypertensive patients, having the potential to improve the quality of the delivered care and to more effectively prevent cardiovascular consequences of high BP.