In a nutshell
This study investigated if mobile health applications (MHA) improve blood pressure (BP) management. They found that MHA could improve BP management by increasing treatment adherence.
Some background
Hypertension or high blood pressure (BP) is one of the most common conditions worldwide. Managing BP levels is very important. Uncontrolled BP can lead to cardiovascular disease (CVD). This increases the risk of heart attacks and stroke. One issue with managing BP is patient adherence (PA).
PA describes how well a person will follow a doctor’s advice. This includes taking medication correctly (medication adherence, MA). Monitoring BP levels at home is also important for PA. Improving PA is one way that hypertension treatment can be most successful. Technology is one way that PA could be improved. Mobile health applications (MHA) can remind patients when to take medication. It can also be useful for recording BP levels. MHA can also provide education which may also improve general health. It is unclear if a MHA improves BP management in patients with hypertension.
Methods & findings
This study included 480 patients with hypertension. Patients were randomly assigned to a MHA or standard care (SC). MHA was used to record medication and BP monitoring. The MHA provided reminders to the patients to do this. The follow-up period was 6 months. The main outcome was a change in systolic BP (SBP; BP when the heart beats) and diastolic BP (DBP; BP between heart beats).
At 6 months SBP and DBP were significantly reduced in both groups. The decrease in SBP and DBP were greater in the MHA group. More patients in the MHA group achieved controlled BP at the end of the study. The MHA group had higher MA rates than the SC group.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that MHA could improve BP management, by increasing patient and medication adherence.
The fine print
The long-term effect of MHA for BP management is unclear. The effect on CVD or major adverse events such as stroke is also unclear. Long-term studies are needed to investigate this.
What’s next?
If you have any concerns regarding hypertension management, please consult with your physician.
Published By :
Medicine
Date :
Apr 01, 2020
