Feasibility and Uptake of a Blood Pressure Monitoring Kiosk in a Medical College Hostel: A Pilot Study

Q: What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Observational. Population: Blood pressure self-monitoring / cardiovascular health awareness (n=458). Intervention: Self-service blood pressure monitoring kiosk (OMRON HEM-7120) vs. Boys' hostel vs. girls' hostel residents. Primary outcome: Resident uptake (first-time blood pressure measurement rate).

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

Hostel-based blood pressure monitoring kiosks achieve initial short-term uptake (28.63% male and 10.14% female participation) but experience a steep decline in utilization after the first day. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.CONFIRMATORY. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

Vaishaali TM; Himel Mondal; Anup Kumar D Dhanvijay; Ayesha Juhi

doi:10.7759/cureus.119250

November 6, 2026CureusOpen Access

Feasibility and Uptake of a Blood Pressure Monitoring Kiosk in a Medical College Hostel: A Pilot Study

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Key result

Hostel-based BP kiosks show ~18-point higher uptake in males vs females, followed by sharp decline.

n=458

Why the study?

Self-monitoring of BP may promote cardiovascular health awareness among students, but evidence regarding the implementation and utilisation of BP monitoring kiosks in hostel settings is limited.

Does deploying an unsupervised self-service blood pressure monitoring kiosk facilitate short-term operational feasibility and sustained student utilization in medical college hostels?

Key Points

To evaluate the operational practicality, uptake patterns, and measurement completeness of hostel-based blood pressure monitoring kiosks, alongside an exploratory comparison between male and female residents.
A pilot observational study deployed unattended kiosks equipped with an automatic monitor (OMRON HEM-7120), table, chair, register, and instructions in boys' and girls' hostels at AIIMS Deoghar, India.
Residents (241 males and 217 females) were notified via WhatsApp, and unsupervised measurement sessions were recorded and tracked over a one-month observation period.
A total of 94 measurement sessions were recorded, with first-time measurements completed by 69 of 241 male residents (28.63%) and 22 of 217 female residents (10.14%); 44 sessions (46.81%) occurred on the first day before daily use declined.
Three consecutive measurements were recorded in 75 sessions (79.79%), including all 24 records (100%) in the girls' hostel compared with 51 of 70 records (72.86%) in the boys' hostel.
Mean average systolic blood pressure was significantly higher among males than females (113.91 ± 10.90 vs. 105.80 ± 10.67 mmHg; p-value = 0.005), whereas diastolic blood pressure (p-value = 0.54) and pulse rate (p-value = 0.36) showed no significant differences.

Study Design

Type

Observational (n=458)

Multicenter

No

Structured PICO

Does deploying an unsupervised self-service blood pressure monitoring kiosk facilitate short-term operational feasibility and sustained student utilization in medical college hostels?

P

Population

458 medical students (47.4% female; 91 unique kiosk users) residing in boys' and girls' college hostels in India, observed over a 1-month period of voluntary self-service blood pressure kiosk availability.

E

Exposure

Unsupervised self-service blood pressure monitoring kiosk consisting of an automatic upper-arm BP monitor (OMRON HEM-7120 with power adapter and standard adult medium cuff 22-32 cm), chair, table, instructional wall banner, and paper recording register, deployed for one month.

O

Outcome

Short-term operational practicality, initial uptake versus one-month utilization patterns (date-wise utilization and measurement frequency), and measurement completeness (proportion of sessions with three recorded readings) over one month.surrogate

Main Result

Absolute Event Rate: 28.63% vs 10.14%

While low-cost, unsupervised blood pressure kiosks are operationally practical to deploy in medical student hostels, initial curiosity-driven uptake rapidly declines, indicating that hardware availability alone is insufficient for sustained cardiovascular health engagement.

Limitations

Single-institution study conducted over only one month in two hostels, limiting generalizability
Voluntary participation creating substantial self-selection bias
Open paper registers in shared spaces presented confidentiality limitations as completed entries were visible to subsequent users
No predefined formal quantitative feasibility progression criteria or systematically logged downtime indicators
User experiences, reasons for non-use, and factors influencing measurement completion were not assessed
Short one-month duration in two hostels at a single institution limiting generalizability
Inherent confidentiality limitations due to logging identifying information (names and mobile numbers) in an open paper register visible to subsequent users
Lack of prospectively defined formal quantitative feasibility benchmarks or systematically logged downtime indicators
Users' experiences, reasons for non-use, and factors influencing measurement completion were not assessed

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Implication

Passive kiosk availability may not sustain BP monitoring among students; hypothesis-generating for active engagement strategies in young adults.

Abstract

BackgroundSelf-monitoring of blood pressure (BP) may provide an opportunity to promote cardiovascular health awareness among students.However, evidence regarding the implementation and utilisation of BP monitoring kiosks in hostel settings is limited.Hence, this pilot study aimed to evaluate the short-term operational practicality, initial uptake versus one-month utilization patterns, and measurement completeness of hostel-based BP monitoring kiosks, alongside an exploratory comparison of recorded BP profiles between boys' and girls' hostels. MethodsA pilot observational study was conducted at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Deoghar, Jharkhand, India, using BP monitoring kiosks installed in the boys' and girls' hostels.An automatic BP monitor, OMRON HEM-7120 (Omron Healthcare, Vietnam), was used for the study.The kiosk setting was composed of a chair, a table, the BP monitor and its power adapter, a register and pen, and an instruction banner (on the wall).Residents were informed about the availability of the kiosk facility via WhatsApp.After one month of unsupervised recording, data were analysed descriptively to assess date-wise utilisation, measurement frequency, and completeness of readings.The mean systolic BP, diastolic BP, and pulse rate were compared between the two hostel settings. ResultsBoth kiosks were installed in the respective hostel settings and used for BP monitoring during the subsequent one-month study period, without any reported technical or operational difficulties.A total of 94 measurement sessions were recorded, comprising 70 (74.47%) in the boys' hostel and 24 (25.53%) in the girls' hostel.Of the total hostel residents, 69 (first-time measurement) of 241 male residents (28.63%) and 22 (first-time measurement) of 217 female residents (10.14%) measured their BP.The highest utilisation occurred on the installation day, accounting for 44 sessions (46.81%), followed by a substantial decline in daily use.Three BP measurements were recorded in 75 sessions (79.79%).All 24 records from the girls' hostel contained three measurements, compared with 51 of 70 records from the boys' hostel (72.86%). ConclusionHostel-based BP monitoring kiosks were successfully deployed in both hostel settings, demonstrating preliminary operational practicality in a low-resource environment.However, the sharp decline in utilization after installation and differences in completeness emphasize that short-term technical practicality does not equate to sustained engagement.Prospective studies using formal feasibility criteria, usability metrics, and engagement strategies are required to evaluate long-term sustainability.

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Cite This Study

TM et al. (2026) conducted an observational in Blood pressure self-monitoring / cardiovascular health awareness (n=458). Self-service blood pressure monitoring kiosk (OMRON HEM-7120) vs. Boys' hostel vs. girls' hostel residents was evaluated on Resident uptake (first-time blood pressure measurement rate). Hostel-based blood pressure kiosks recorded 94 sessions over one month (28.63% male vs. 10.14% female uptake), with 46.81% of use on day one followed by a sharp decline.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6af0e9a6de503f3774140ac3 https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.119250

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Feasibility and Uptake of a Blood Pressure Monitoring Kiosk in a Medical College Hostel: A Pilot Study

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Main Result

Limitations

Ask about this paper

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

Feasibility and Uptake of a Blood Pressure Monitoring Kiosk in a Medical College Hostel: A Pilot Study

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Main Result

Limitations

Ask about this paper

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

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