Abstract
BackgroundDigital health tools (WeChat or mobile health apps) provide opportunities for new methods of hypertension management for hypertensive patients. However, the willingness of these patients to use social media and mobile health apps for hypertension management remains unclear. This study explored the characteristics and requirements of patients willing to use digital health (WDH) tools to manage hypertension.MethodsFrom February to March 2018, we administered questionnaires to 1089 patients with hypertension at eight Chinese primary medical units. We assessed independent risk factors of WDH and requirement among WDH patients.ResultsOverall, 43% (465/1089) of participants were WDH patients, who were younger (58 ± 12 vs 61 ± 13 years) and had a greater proportion of employed individuals (31% vs 14%) and higher education levels (65% vs 52%) than the non-WDH patients (all P < 0.0001). After adjusting for other risk factors, higher education (OR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.34–0.79), good medicine adherence (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.0–2.3) and blood pressure self-monitoring (OR: 1.6; 95% CI: 1.2–2.3) remained significantly associated with WDH (all P < 0.05). WDH patients responded that digital health tools should try to provide a platform for blood pressure monitoring (42%), medication reminders (41%), hypertension knowledge (39%) and doctor-patient communication (32%).ConclusionOur survey suggested that among hypertensive patients, willingness to use digital health tools was significantly associated with education, medicine adherence and blood pressure self-monitoring. Digital health tool developers and researchers should pay particular attention to recruiting older, less educated and unemployed patients with less willingness and who are less technologically savvy and research the requirements of WDH patients (blood pressure monitoring, medication reminders, and knowledge education) in the future.
Highlights
Digital health tools (WeChat or mobile health apps) provide opportunities for new methods of hypertension management for hypertensive patients
Risk factors for willing to use digital health (WDH) patients The results from binary logistic regression revealed that WDH patients were more likely to have a higher education level (OR: 1.92; 95% CI: 1.27–2.94, P < 0.05) and that they were more likely to have good medicine adherence (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.0–2.3, P < 0.05) and blood pressure self-monitoring (OR: 1.6; 95% CI: 1.2–2.3, P < 0.05)
Our survey found that 42.7% of hypertensive patients were willing to use digital health tools, and WDH was associated with higher education, good medicine adherence and blood pressure selfmonitoring
Summary
Digital health tools (WeChat or mobile health apps) provide opportunities for new methods of hypertension management for hypertensive patients. This study explored the characteristics and requirements of patients willing to use digital health (WDH) tools to manage hypertension. The 2018 Hypertension Guidelines recommend that hypertension management, in addition to drug intervention, should focus on lifestyle interventions, home self-tests, follow-up, and the use of smartphones and other kinds of remote monitoring tools for blood pressure [5]. Digital health interventions, such as email, text messages, smartphone applications like facebook, have been explored to assist in the self-management of hypertension and some other chronic diseases [6]. This survey was conducted to explore 1) the characteristics of patients willing to use digital health tools to manage hypertension (WDH) and 2) the required features of these digital health tools
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