Home blood pressure monitoring and mobile health application practices among pregnant persons with and at risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

OBJECTIVES

To examine training in and current home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) practices in pregnancies with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) or risk factors for HDP; and to explore interest in using mHealth applications for communicating with healthcare providers.

STUDY DESIGN

A cross-sectional survey was conducted on HBPM practices/training and interest in using mobile health (mHealth) applications among pregnant persons at an academic medical center.

OUTCOME MEASURES

The main outcomes measured were the proportion of participants who received training for HBPM, and the proportion interested in using mHealth applications for communication with providers related to managing HDP.

RESULTS

Of the 103 participants, 41 (39.8%) used HBPM. Of those who did HBPM, 36.6% received training from their healthcare providers. Training more often included instructions on positioning and how to perform HBPM, and rarely included advice on validated HBPM devices. Nearly all participants (98.1%) owned a smartphone, and 19.4% had a smartwatch. A significant majority expressed interest in using a secure mobile app for communication with providers (78.6%), and 88.3% were interested in wearing a smartwatch for remote monitoring. There were no significant differences in interest levels based on race, age, residence, or education, while there was higher interest (100% vs. 67%) in mobile apps for communication among those with HDP vs. risk factors for HDP.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite a low level of training for HBPM, there was high interest in using mHealth applications. Leveraging mHealth technology could help overcome the challenges of providing training for HBPM.