Hypertensive patients using a telemonitor achieved high adherence, with 73% taking at least 6 blood pressure readings per week and 88% attending expected phone visits with a pharmacist case manager.
RCT
Cluster-randomized
Does blood pressure telemonitoring and pharmacist case management achieve high adherence in patients with uncontrolled hypertension?
Patients with uncontrolled hypertension can achieve and maintain high adherence to blood pressure telemonitoring and pharmacist case management over 6 months.
Hypertension is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease and death worldwide. Advances in technology have added telemedicine as a tool for managing hypertension. The effectiveness of telemedicine depends on patients' ability to adhere to schedules of home monitoring and case management. Participants with uncontrolled hypertension in the intervention arm of a randomized trial who completed 6 months of follow-up were included in this analysis. They were asked to measure their blood pressure (BP) a minimum of 6 times per week using a telemonitor that transmitted the readings to their pharmacist case manager. Hypertensive patients in this study had high adherence to telemonitoring (73% took at least 6 BP readings per week) and phone visits (88% of expected visits were attended). In a multivariate analysis, older age, male sex, and some college education predicted better telemonitoring adherence. White non-Hispanic race/ethnicity predicted better adherence to phone visits with pharmacist case managers. Telemonitoring adherence and phone adherence were highly correlated; participants who did not send readings on schedule were more likely to skip at least one phone visit with their pharmacist case manager. The findings from this analysis indicate that hypertensive patients in this study were able to achieve and maintain high adherence to both the telemonitoring and the phone case management visits.
Kerby et al. (Thu,) conducted a rct in Uncontrolled hypertension. Blood pressure telemonitoring and pharmacist case management was evaluated on Adherence to telemonitoring (taking at least 6 BP readings per week). Hypertensive patients using a telemonitor achieved high adherence, with 73% taking at least 6 blood pressure readings per week and 88% attending expected phone visits with a pharmacist case manager.