In the United States, hypertension is a major public health problem and a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease and many other diseases. In 2018, nearly 500,000 people died in the United States, of which hypertension was the main cause or contributing factor. Although hypertension can be effectively controlled, there are obstacles to adequate management. As pointed out by the American Medical Association, the most common obstacles to fully control blood pressure are: poor or inconsistent blood pressure measurement technology; concealed hypertension which causes the patient to look normal in the office, but high in the home; clinical inertia which occurs when the patient's blood pressure does not reach the target and the patient's nursing team does not start or strengthen treatment; the nursing team lack of evidence-based treatment; insufficient patients' participation in self-management.
For doctors, remote blood pressure monitoring provides data-driven insight into the trend of patients' blood pressure over time, helping doctors make informed decisions based on the trend. Through RPM devices, doctors can be reminded in real time when the blood pressure reading exceeds the ideal range of patients. After receiving the alarm, the doctor can contact the patient to understand the cause of the change and the subsequent steps to control the patient's blood pressure. In short, remote blood pressure monitoring enables doctors to actively treat their patients.
By tracking data over time, remote blood pressure monitoring can help detect abnormal readings, including hypotension or hypertension. Remote blood pressure monitoring can help doctors understand how new and existing prescriptions work. Remote blood pressure monitoring at home is an effective method to control hypertension.
Hypertension is a key risk factor for many chronic diseases and a huge driver of the cost of the U.S. health care system. According to the data of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States, the annual loss caused by hypertension in the United States is about 131 billion US dollars. If patients and doctors across the country can use creative and innovative blood pressure management tools, this number will certainly be reduced.
COVID-19 pandemic has proved the effectiveness of telemedicine and remote blood pressure monitoring, and this technology is likely to become a common fixture in clinical practice in the future. The demand for our healthcare system will only continue to rise, so we must use tools that can help improve patient prognosis, prolong life, and prevent avoidable costs.
