Insights on home blood pressure monitoring in Asia: Expert perspectives from 10 countries/regions

Challenges experienced by informal caregivers in contributing to the selfcare practices of haemodialysis patients in Ghana

BACKGROUND

In Ghana, the prevalence of chronic kidney disease was 12% in 2017. Global data show that about 70% of people living on kidney replacement therapy are on haemodialysis. Selfcare among haemodialysis patients is important to counteract the multiple difficulties encountered. However, patients on haemodialysis often do not engage enough in selfcare and need the help of "informal", usually family caregivers. The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges experienced by caregivers in contributing to the management of haemodialysis patients in Ghana.

METHODS

Descriptive qualitative research design was employed in this study. The study was conducted at the Tamale Teaching Hospital and the 37 Military Hospital in Ghana. Fourteen caregivers of adult haemodialysis patients who received care at the nephology department of the setting were recruited through purposive sampling, according to the inclusion criteria. The sample size was defined by data saturation. Informal caregivers were interviewed face-to-face using a semi-structured interview, between April and May 2024. Data were analysed manually employing Braun and Clark's six-steps of thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Two main themes were identified with seven subthemes, namely, deficit of knowledge on kidney disease and its treatment (poor disease knowledge, poor knowledge on side effects of medications on fistula management, on blood pressure parameters, and on food requirements) and patients' non- adherence (resistance to food and fluid restrictions).

CONCLUSION

Supportive intervention programs may provide both patients and their caregivers with the knowledge and skills required to enable them to contribute effectively to the care of patients undergoing haemodialysis.

Current realities of home blood pressure monitoring from physicians' perspectives: results from Asia HBPM survey 2020

Uncontrolled hypertension is a significant problem in many parts of Asia. Effective management is essential to reduce the burden of hypertension. Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) is a promising tool that can aid in the diagnosis and management of hypertension. Experts from 11 countries/regions in Asia conceptualized a large-scale survey to examine the current realities of HBPM. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among health care professionals from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam between November 2019 and June 2021. Physicians' responses were summarized using descriptive statistics. A total of 7945 physicians participated in the survey. Among all respondents, 50.3% and 33.5% viewed HBPM as highly recognized by physicians and patients in their country/region, respectively. Lack of understanding of HBPM and concern with the accuracy and reliability of HBPM devices were identified as key barriers to HBPM recognition. Nearly all physicians (95.9%) reported recommending HBPM to their patients; however, they reported less than 50% of their patients measured home blood pressure (HBP). Among physicians who recommended HBPM, only 22.4% and 54.1% cited HBP diagnostic threshold values and timing of taking antihypertensive drugs that were consistent with available guidelines, respectively. The survey reveals that the recognition of HBPM as a valuable tool to diagnose and manage hypertension is suboptimal in most parts of Asia. Despite high recommendation of HBPM to hypertensive patients by physicians, there are considerable discrepancies between guidelines recommendations and practice realities. The recognition of HBPM as a valuable tool for the diagnosis and management of hypertension is suboptimal among both physicians and patients in Asia. A clear and consistent guidance for proper HBPM practice and use of validated and calibrated HBP monitors are among the top priorities to support the integration of HBPM into daily patient care. HBPM: home blood pressure monitoring, HBP: home blood pressure.

Healthcare provider's perspectives on home blood pressure management in Peru and Cameroon: Findings from the BPMONITOR study

Home blood pressure management, including self-monitoring and medication self-titration, is an efficient and cost-effective tool. Although its use is increasing globally, little is known about the feasibility of such interventions in low and middle-income countries. Further, the perspectives and experiences of healthcare providers who play a big role in ensuring the success of home blood pressure management interventions have not been documented. This qualitative study was conducted with a total of 35 healthcare providers (60% female, mean [SD] age = 37.3 [6.9 years] years), through 4 in-depth interviews from Peru, and 8 in-depth interviews and 4 focus groups from Cameroon. Study participants (healthcare providers) include physicians (primary care physicians), specialists (cardiologists and geriatricians), and nurses that were purposively recruited from two hospitals in two of the largest cities in both countries. Results were thematically analyzed by two researchers. Themes derived were related to feasibility and acceptability, and largely reflected providers in both countries endorsing home blood pressure management. Providers' concerns were in three main areas; 1) safety of patients when they self-titrate medications, 2) resources such as healthcare financing, local hospital policies that support communications with patients for home blood pressure management, and 3) sustainability through patient adherence, incorporating home blood pressure management within clinical guidelines and hospital policies, and complementing with continued health education and lifestyle modifications. According to providers, home blood pressure management may be feasible and acceptable if tailored multi-faceted protocols were introduced bearing in mind local contexts.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring for the management of hypertension

ABSTRACT

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) has become indispensable in the current management of hypertension. ABPM is particularly useful in the accurate diagnosis of hypertension. Its diagnostic thresholds had been recently established based on hard clinical outcomes. Cross-classification of patients according to office and ambulatory blood pressure identifies white-coat, masked, and sustained hypertension. ABPM is also useful in cardiovascular (CV) risk assessment. It provides information on daytime and nighttime blood pressure and circadian rhythm, particularly nighttime blood pressure dipping. Nighttime blood pressure is predictive of CV risk independent of office and daytime blood pressure. Isolated nocturnal hypertension is a special form of masked hypertension, with normal daytime but elevated nocturnal blood pressure. It also helps in the evaluation of blood pressure fluctuation and variation, such as morning blood pressure surge and reading-to-reading blood pressure variability. ABPM may derive several other indexes, such as ambulatory blood pressure index and salt sensitivity index, which may be useful in CV evaluations.

Home Blood Pressure Monitoring: Current Status and New Developments

Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) is a reliable, convenient, and less costly alternative to ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) for the diagnosis and management of hypertension. Recognition and use of HBPM have dramatically increased over the last 20 years and current guidelines make strong recommendations for the use of both HBPM and ABPM in patients with hypertension. The accuracy and reliability of home blood pressure (BP) measurements require use of a validated device and standardized procedures, and good patient information and training. Key HBPM parameters include morning BP, evening BP, and the morning-evening difference. In addition, newer semi-automatic HBPM devices can also measure nighttime BP at fixed intervals during sleep. Advances in technology mean that HBPM devices could provide additional relevant data (e.g., environmental conditions) or determine BP in response to a specific trigger (e.g., hypoxia, increased heart rate). The value of HBPM is highlighted by a growing body of evidence showing that home BP is an important predictor of target organ damage, and cardiovascular disease (CVD)- and stroke-related morbidity and mortality, and provides better prognostic information than office BP. In addition, use of HBPM to monitor antihypertensive therapy can help to optimize reductions in BP, improve BP control, and reduce target organ damage and cardiovascular risk. Overall, HBPM should play a central role in the management of patients with hypertension, with the goal of identifying increased risk and predicting the onset of CVD events, allowing proactive interventions to reduce risk and eliminate adverse outcomes.

Insights on home blood pressure monitoring in Asia: Expert perspectives from 10 countries/regions

Hypertension is one of the most powerful modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. It is usually asymptomatic and therefore essential to measure blood pressure regularly for the detection of hypertension. Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) is recognized as a valuable tool to monitor blood pressure and facilitate effective diagnosis of hypertension. It is useful to identify the masked or white-coat hypertension. There is also increasing evidence that supports the role of HBPM in guiding antihypertensive treatment, and improving treatment compliance and hypertension control. In addition, HBPM has also shown prognostic value in predicting cardiovascular events. Despite these benefits, the use of HBPM in many parts of Asia has been reported to be low. An expert panel comprising 12 leading experts from 10 Asian countries/regions convened to share their perspectives on the realities of HBPM. This article provides an expert summary of the current status of HBPM and the key factors hindering its use. It also describes HBPM-related initiatives in the respective countries/regions and presents strategies that could be implemented to better support the use of HBPM in the management of hypertension.