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
. 2018 Mar 28:12:467-476.
doi: 10.2147/PPA.S157658. eCollection 2018.

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

Inger Hallberg  1   2   3 , Agneta Ranerup  3   4 , Ulrika Bengtsson  1   3 , Karin Kjellgren  1   2   3
Affiliations

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

Inger Hallberg et al. Patient Prefer Adherence. .

Abstract

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.

Keywords: adherence; adoption; blood pressure; cellular phone; mHealth; person-centered care.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overview of the study intervention. Abbreviation: BP, blood pressure.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Go AS, Mozaffarian D, Roger VL, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics – 2014 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2014;129(3):e28–e292. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chobanian AV. Time to reassess blood-pressure goals. N Engl J Med. 2015;373(22):2093–2095. - PubMed
    1. Mills KT, Bundy JD, Kelly TN, et al. Global disparities of hypertension prevalence and control: a systematic analysis of population-based studies from 90 countries. Circulation. 2016;134(6):441–450. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Barlow J, Wright C, Sheasby J, Turner A, Hainsworth J. Self-management approaches for people with chronic conditions: a review. Patient Educ Couns. 2002;48(2):177–187. - PubMed
    1. Petitti DB, Grumbach K. Variation in physicians’ recommendations about revisit interval for three common conditions. J Fam Pract. 1993;37(3):235–240. - PubMed