Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Jun;20(4):184-191.
doi: 10.1177/1357633X14533889. Epub 2014 May 6.

Use of a telehealth system by older adults with hypertension

Sara J Czaja  1 , Chin Chin Lee  2 , Neysari Arana  2 , Sankaran N Nair  2 , Joseph Sharit  3
Affiliations

Use of a telehealth system by older adults with hypertension

Sara J Czaja et al. J Telemed Telecare. 2014 Jun.

Abstract

We conducted a feasibility study of a home telehealth system that monitored blood pressure and bodyweight. A total of 34 participants with hypertension (10 males and 24 females) had the telemedicine system installed in their homes. Their mean age was 72 years and 94% of them self-identified as Hispanic. The telehealth system transmitted blood pressure and bodyweight data to a server. There was also a messaging function that was used to send a daily reminder to the participants. Participants used the telehealth system for six months. Ten participants were lost to follow up and 24 participants completed the entire study. Participants had strong positive perceptions regarding the usability and usefulness of the telemedicine system. Most of them (92%) found the device easy to use and 96% felt that the training they received prepared them to use the device. The providers indicated that use of the system improved their ability to manage their patients. The results of the study suggest that use of the telehealth system for home monitoring in Hispanic patients with hypertension is feasible.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Telehealth system – patient equipment (a) Blood pressure measuring unit (left) and wireless transmission unit (top right); (b) Bodyweight scale.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention High Blood Pressure Facts. See http://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/facts.htm (last checked 10 March 2014)
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Hypertension, ages 20+: US, 1988–2010. See http://205.207.175.93/HDI/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=75 (last checked 10 March 2014)
    1. Stergiou GS, Argyraki KK, Moyssakis I, et al. Home blood pressure is as reliable as ambulatory blood pressure in predicting target-organ damage in h pertension. Am J Hypertens. 2007;20:616–21. - PubMed
    1. Archer N, Fevrier-Thomas U, Lokker C, McKibbon KA, Straus SE. Personal health records: a scoping review. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2011;18:515–22. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bondmass M, Bolger N, Castro G, Avitall B. The effect of home monitoring and telemanagement on blood pressure control among African Americans. Telemed J. 2000;6:15–23.

LinkOut - more resources