Study demonstrates high compliance, retention, and patient satisfaction with the program
MONDAY, Sept. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) — A remote blood pressure monitoring program is feasible and acceptable to postpartum women with hypertension, according to a study published online Sept. 10 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Alisse Hauspurg, M.D., from University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and colleagues conducted a quality improvement project among 409 women admitted to the postpartum unit of a single tertiary care hospital with a diagnosis of chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia (12 percent), gestational hypertension (41 percent), preeclampsia (44 percent), or postpartum preeclampsia (3 percent). The intervention (February 2018 to January 2019) included remote blood pressure monitoring and monitoring reminders and follow-up appointments. The frequency of the reminders and follow-up appointments was dependent on patients’ readings, which were integrated into their electronic health records.
The researchers found that 171 participants (42 percent) had antihypertensives initiated or titrated through the program. The vast majority of women (83 percent) continued the program beyond three weeks postpartum, and 88 percent attended an in-person six-week postpartum visit. A postprogram survey was completed by 250 women, of whom 94 percent reported satisfaction with the program.
“We’re meeting women where they are instead of saying they have to come to the hospital for all these blood pressure checks when they have a new baby,” Hauspurg said in a statement. “I think this is supported by recent American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ recommendations and is an opportunity to improve care for high-risk women.”
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