Implementation of simple telehealth to manage hypertension in general practice: a service evaluation

Conclusions:
Although simple telehealth may be an acceptable tool for diagnosing and monitoring hypertension among responding patient users, and can have a useful role in diagnosis of hypertension (particularly if ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is not possible or is declined), problems were identified. Reduced patient engagement over longer periods and acceptance of suboptimal BP control among patients on monitoring protocols need to be urgently addressed. Empirical work is required to identify barriers to achieving BP control among hypertensive patients using simple telehealth and, consequently, services be developed to address these issues.

Source: BMC Family Practice - July 17, 2015 Category: Primary Care Authors: Elizabeth CottrellTracey CoxPhil O¿ConnellRuth Chambers Source Type: research