Impact of Blood Pressure Telemonitoring on Hypertension Outcomes: A Literature Review

We searched five databases (PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and ProQuest) from 1995 to September 2009 to collect evidence on the impact of blood pressure (BP) telemonitoring on BP control and other outcomes in telemonitoring studies targeting patients with hypertension as a primary diagnosis. Fifteen articles met our review criteria. We found that BP telemonitoring resulted in reduction of BP in all but two studies; systolic BP declined by 3.9 to 13.0 mm Hg and diastolic BP declined by 2.0 to 8.0 mm Hg across these studies. These magnitudes of effect are comparable to those observed in efficacy trials of some antihypertensive drugs. Although BP control was the primary outcome of these studies, some included secondary outcomes such as healthcare utilization and cost. Evidence of the benefits of BP telemonitoring on these secondary outcomes is less robust. Compliance with BP telemonitoring among patients was favorable, but compliance among participating healthcare providers was not well documented. The potential role of BP telemonitoring in the reduction of BP is discussed and suggestions on priority populations that can benefit from this technology are presented.