Using telehealth in the management of hypertension

Abstract

Telehealth is a recent concept in hypertension management, and involves using electronic technology to monitor patients' vital signs, such as blood pressure, in their homes. This article presents the findings of a literature review that explored the issues associated with implementing telehealth in the primary care setting. It outlines the challenges associated with telehealth, as well as the potential benefits in terms of improving hypertension management. Aim To explore the usefulness of, and evidence for, telehealth in the management of hypertension in the primary care setting. Method The population, intervention, comparison and outcome (PICO) tool was used to define the research question for the literature review, which was: 'Do adults with hypertension being monitored with telehealth/telemonitoring have a higher quality of life and improved management compared with standard care?' Findings The literature review identified that a common challenge in implementing telehealth in patients with hypertension was the requirement to improve patients' compliance with and participation in telehealth systems. Conclusion Ongoing challenges with the implementation of telehealth include suboptimal feedback, and reduced patient interest in and compliance with telehealth systems. It was also noted that patients involved in longer trials had a higher withdrawal rate than those enrolled on shorter intense studies. In addition, patient lifestyle choices, including outdoor working, and lack of Wi-Fi proved a challenge to self-monitoring. If not resolved, such challenges could adversely affect the widespread use of telehealth.

Keywords: blood pressure; hypertension; literature review; primary care; research; self-care; telehealth; telemonitoring.