Key result
Telemedicine and mobile health services can yield greater blood pressure reductions than usual care, but economic and digital divides challenge their scaling in low- and middle-income countries.
Why the study?
Telemedicine can improve blood pressure control, but economic and digital divides create significant challenges to scaling this technology in low- and middle-income countries.
Do telemedicine and mHealth services improve blood pressure control compared to usual care in low- and middle-income countries?
Do telemedicine and mHealth services improve blood pressure control compared to usual care in low- and middle-income countries?
While telemedicine and mHealth show promise for improving blood pressure control, significant infrastructure investments are required to prevent widening health disparities in low- and middle-income countries.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Infrastructure investments required before scaling mHealth for BP control in LMICs; leaves open equitable implementation strategies.
In just over a half-century since the initiation of telemedicine, technological developments have created multiple options to shape how patients can access healthcare and interact with healthcare providers to better prevent and manage hypertension. In several high-income countries, patients are connecting to their healthcare providers online to book appointments, request prescriptions, see test results and engage in pro-active health management. Mounting evidence suggests that telemedicine and mobile health (mHealth) services can yield greater reductions in blood pressure when compared with usual care while also offering greater reach, efficiency, and potential cost-saving. A deeper examination of implementing such systems at scale in high-income countries shows varying approaches and levels of success. While research investigating the benefits of technology for blood pressure control in low- and middle-income countries is growing, in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, economic and digital divides present major challenges to scaling such technology. Substantial national investments in infrastructure and skills development are needed alongside consultation with multiple stakeholders to ensure that technological advancements do not further drive health disparities in the region.
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Lisa J. Ware (2022) conducted a review in Hypertension. Telemedicine and mobile health (mHealth) vs. Usual care was evaluated on Blood pressure reduction. Telemedicine and mobile health services can yield greater blood pressure reductions than usual care, but economic and digital divides challenge their scaling in low- and middle-income countries.
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