Blood pressure management through application-based telehealth platforms: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and objectives: Hypertension management has several challenges, including poor compliance with medications and patients being lost to follow-up. Recently, remote patient monitoring and telehealth technologies have emerged as promising methods of blood pressure management. We aimed to investigate the role of application-based telehealth programs in optimizing blood pressure management. Methods: Searches were performed in December 2020 using three databases: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase and Ovid MEDLINE. All randomized controlled trials that included remote blood pressure management programmes were eligible for inclusion. Studies were included if blood pressure data were available for both the intervention and control groups. Following PRISMA guidelines, data were independently collected by two reviewers. Data were pooled using a random-effects model. The primary study outcomes were mean SBP and DBP changes for the intervention and control groups. Results: Eight hundred and seventy-nine distinct articles were identified and 18 satisfied inclusion and exclusion criteria. Overall, a mean weighted decrease of 7.07 points (SBP) and 5.07 points (DBP) was found for the intervention group, compared with 3.11 point (SBP) and 3.13 point (DBP) decreases in the control group. Forest plots were constructed and effect sizes were also calculated. Mean change effect sizes of 1.1 (SBP) and 0.98 (DBP) were found, representing 86 and 85% of the intervention group having greater SBP or DBP changes, respectively, when compared with the control group. Discussion: Remote patient monitoring technologies may represent a promising avenue for hypertension management. Future research is needed to evaluate the benefits in different disease-based patient subgroups.