Key result
BP self-monitoring is practiced by 19% of pregnant women but many fail to share their readings.
Why the study?
The study was conducted to understand the current prevalence of, and attitudes to, self-monitoring of blood pressure during pregnancy.
Cross-Sectional (n=5,181)
Yes
Nearly one in five pregnant women, and half of those with hypertension, self-monitor their blood pressure, but only half share these readings with their healthcare team, highlighting a missed opportunity for enhanced antenatal care.
Low uptake and sharing of self-monitored BP in pregnancy should not change practice; cross-sectional data leaves open effects on outcomes and requires prospective trials.
OBJECTIVE: To understand the current prevalence of, and attitudes to, self-monitoring of blood pressure (BP) during pregnancy. METHODS: Five thousand, five hundred and fifty-five pregnant women from antenatal clinics in 16 hospitals in England were invited to complete a survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the proportion of women currently BP self-monitoring. Secondary outcomes included self-monitoring schedules and women's interactions with clinicians regarding self-monitoring. Population characteristics including risk factors for preeclampsia, ethnicity and deprivation level were considered. RESULTS: Completed surveys were received and analysed from 5181 pregnant women (93% response rate). Comparison to hospital demographic data suggests that respondents were representative of the UK population. Nine hundred and eighty-three of 5181 (19%) women were currently self-monitoring their BP, constituting 189 of 389 (49%) hypertensive women and 794 of 4792 (17%) normotensive women. However, only 482 of 983 (49%) reported ever sharing this information with antenatal care teams. Of those who self-monitored, 68% (668/983) were able to provide a previous BP reading, compared with 1% (67/5181) of those who did not self-monitor. CONCLUSION: Many women are now choosing to self-monitor their BP during pregnancy and clinicians should enquire about this proactively and consider providing better information on BP monitoring. Those who self-monitor appear to have better knowledge about their blood pressure. If these findings were replicated nationwide, around 125 000 pregnant women would be currently self-monitoring BP in the UK, yet only half of these women may communicate their readings to their antenatal care teams, suggesting a missed opportunity for enhanced care. Current trials will make the place of self-monitoring in pregnancy clearer.
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Tucker et al. (2021) conducted a cross-sectional in Pregnancy (n=5,181). Self-monitoring of blood pressure was evaluated on Proportion of women currently BP self-monitoring (95% CI 16-22%). Self-monitoring of blood pressure was practiced by 19% of pregnant women overall, and by 49% of those with hypertension, though only half shared their readings with healthcare professionals.
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