How does self-monitoring bring about blood pressure reduction?
Aims:
To investigate factors that moderate and mediate the effect of self-monitoring on blood pressure in hypertension
Why this is important:
Evidence from clinical trials has shown us that patients with hypertension who self-monitor their blood pressure (BP) tend to have lower BP than those patients who don’t. However, it is unclear exactly how self-monitoring has a positive impact on blood pressure control. It is likely that self-monitoring supports changes in behaviour in the patients, their doctors or both. It is important to know how self-monitoring works in order to optimise its effect.
Methods:
I will use a number of methods to investigate the effects of self-monitoring seen in clinical trials, as well as how self-monitoring is used in everyday life, and how important it is in the overall management of hypertension.
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of self-monitoring blood pressure on medication adherence and lifestyle factors.
- Self-monitoring blood pressure in hypertension, patient and provider perspectives: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Web based survey of UK primary care physicians and their use of self-monitoring in hypertension.
- Do patients habituate to self-monitoring, and does this explain some of the effects in trials?
- How does self-monitoring fit into the everyday lives of patients with hypertension, and what role does it play in the clinical encounter – semi-structured interviews and framework analysis.
- Patient preferences for hypertension management – discrete choice analysis (see information for those completing the online survey).
How this could benefit patients:
It is important to understand how self-monitoring achieves a positive effect so that in future we can improve the information provided to patients and doctors to promote self-monitoring, as well as tailoring future self-monitoring interventions.