Edwin Frank, Tettey Mark, Ansah Evelyn K, Tetteh John, Swaray Swithin M, Vidzro Edem S, Kpodonu Jacques, Kpodonu John, Tang Alice, Koomson Valencia
School of Medicine, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
Cardiothoracic Centre, Ho Teaching Hospital, Ho, Ghana.
Health Sci Investig J. 2024;6(2):960-968. doi: 10.46829/hsijournal.2024.12.6.2.960-968. Epub 2024 Dec 30.
Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and requires long-term health treatment and ongoing monitoring to the extent that traditional management approaches may be limited in providing. Adopting appropriate digital tools like mobile health technology (mHealth) could be an effective strategy for improving the control and management of this public health burden. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility of the AHOMKA care model at two tertiary hospitals in Ghana. Outcome measures were changes in systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure model acceptance by patients and health care providers.
This study sought to assess the overall pattern of home blood pressure self-monitoring among participants from two teaching hospitals in southern Ghana, using mHealth.
Participants attending two (2) cardiology clinics were recruited for this mixed-method pilot study over a period of eight (8) weeks. Following a longitudinal single-group approach, we conducted structured interviews at the baseline and endline and used exports of the AHOMKA mHealth application, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with patients and healthcare providers. Repeated measures analysis of variance was adopted to assess differences in SBP and DBP between baseline and end line.
This pilot study involved 27 participants with a mean of 50.4 ± 11.0 years-approximately 1:1 male-female participation. Mean SBP decreased by 11.6 mm Hg (95% CI = 15.0 to -8.2), from an average of 138.6 mmHg at baseline to 126.2 mmHg at endline. Average DBP was also significantly reduced by 3.0 mmHg (95% CI = -5.5 to -0.5), from an average of 87.0 mmHg at baseline to 83.0 mmHg at endline. Patients and healthcare providers were satisfied and optimistic about the AHOMKA care model.
The encouraging trend in BP outcomes and high response rate from this pilot study provides evidence for further investigation involving the assessment of the effectiveness of the AHOMKA care model while culturally adapting the model to the Ghanaian context. In the spectrum of hypertension interventions, AHOMKA has the potential to ease the burden on the public health system.
高血压是心血管疾病的主要危险因素，需要长期的健康治疗和持续监测，而传统管理方法在这方面可能存在局限性。采用适当的数字工具，如移动健康技术（mHealth），可能是改善这一公共卫生负担控制和管理的有效策略。这项试点研究评估了AHOMKA护理模式在加纳两家三级医院的可行性。结果指标包括收缩压（SBP）和舒张压（DBP）的变化、患者和医疗服务提供者对该模式的接受程度。
本研究旨在使用移动健康技术评估加纳南部两家教学医院参与者家庭血压自我监测的总体模式。
在为期八周的时间里，招募了两家心脏病诊所的参与者进行这项混合方法试点研究。采用纵向单组方法，我们在基线和终点进行了结构化访谈，并使用了AHOMKA移动健康应用程序的导出数据、与患者和医疗服务提供者进行了深入访谈和焦点小组讨论。采用重复测量方差分析来评估基线和终点之间收缩压和舒张压的差异。
这项试点研究涉及27名参与者，平均年龄为50.4±11.0岁，男女参与比例约为1:1。平均收缩压从基线时的138.6 mmHg降至终点时的126.2 mmHg，下降了11.6 mmHg（95%CI = 15.0至-8.2）。平均舒张压也显著降低了3.0 mmHg（95%CI = -5.5至-0.5），从基线时的87.0 mmHg降至终点时的83.0 mmHg。患者和医疗服务提供者对AHOMKA护理模式感到满意并持乐观态度。
这项试点研究中令人鼓舞的血压结果趋势和高响应率为进一步研究提供了证据，包括评估AHOMKA护理模式的有效性，并在文化上使其适应加纳的情况。在高血压干预领域，AHOMKA有潜力减轻公共卫生系统的负担。
