Mobile BP monitoring does not change outcomes after myocardial infarction

(HealthDay)—The use of smartphone-enabled health monitoring devices after myocardial infarction yields similar blood pressure control when compared with regular follow-up visits, according to a study published online April 16 in JAMA Network Open.

Roderick W. Treskes, Ph.D., of the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, and colleagues randomly assigned 200 eligible patients with recent myocardial infarctions to a control or intervention group and studied blood pressure at 12 months as a primary end point. In the control group, patients completed regular follow-up visits one, three, six, and 12 months after a myocardial infarction. In the intervention group, participants were given four smartphone-compatible devices (a step counter, weight scale, rhythm monitor, and blood pressure monitor) and their one- and six-month appointments were replaced by video appointments.

The researchers found that after 12 months, 79 percent of patients in the intervention group versus 76 percent of patients in the control group had controlled blood pressure. Other outcomes, including patient satisfaction, all-cause mortality, and hospitalizations were similar. About 90 percent of patients in the intervention group indicated they were satisfied with the inclusion of technology in their care.

"With the aging U.S. population and the accompanying rise of chronic medical conditions, demand for health care visits is outpacing supply," Steven M. Bradley, M.D., M.P.H., a cardiologist at the Healthcare Delivery Innovation Center in Minneapolis, writes in an accompanying editorial. "Although evidence suggesting mobile health and patient-generated data improve health is sparse, this should not temper enthusiasm for the potential of mobile health and patient-generated data to address shortcomings in traditional health care delivery or for studies of how these tools might make health better."

One author disclosed financial ties to Boston Scientific.

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