A mobile phone app significantly improved total adherence scores, including medication, diet, and appointment keeping, among hypertensive patients compared to a control group after 3 months.
RCT (n=191)
Does a mobile phone app improve adherence to treatment regimens in hypertensive patients?
A mobile phone app providing reminders and education significantly improves treatment adherence among hypertensive patients.
BACKGROUND: Hypertension is one of the most prevalent long-term diseases seen in many countries, including Palestine. Patients with poorly controlled blood pressure are more likely to develop several complications. Therefore; it is imperative to control their blood pressure by improving their adherence to the treatment regimen. AIM: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of using a mobile phone app on the level of adherence to treatment regimens among hypertensive patients in the Gaza Strip. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study used an experimental design with a pre and post-intervention assessment. Using the Hill-Bone compliance to high blood pressure therapy scale, 191 participants completed the study: 94 in the control group and 97 in the intervention group. The intervention group used a phone app which reminds participants to take their medication, reminding them about their follow-up appointments and sending educational information about hypertension management. After 3 months of intervention, the level of adherence to treatment was reassessed. Results showed that participants in both groups showed a significant improvement in adherence levels, with higher improvements in the intervention group in the total score as well as all three domain scores: adherence to medication, diet and keeping appointments. CONCLUSION: The use of a mobile phone app resulted in improvements in adherence to hypertension treatment. Thus, this study confirms the potential effectiveness of mobile technology in improving treatment adherence in hypertension and an opportunity to reduce cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. However, wider adoption has to be accompanied by ongoing evaluation and integration in public health systems.
Abu-El-Noor et al. (2020) conducted an RCT in Hypertension (n=191). Mobile phone app vs. Control group was evaluated on Level of adherence to treatment regimens (Hill-Bone compliance scale). A mobile phone app significantly improved total adherence scores, including medication, diet, and appointment keeping, among hypertensive patients compared to a control group after 3 months.