Experiences of telemedicine-aided hypertension control in the follow-up of Finnish hypertensive patients.
The prevalence of hypertension is high in Finland. Only one fourth of the drug-treated hypertensive patients reach their target pressure. We evaluated a commercially available telemedicine system for impact in reaching better blood pressure control among Finnish hypertensive patients. A telemedicine system, the Doc@home, was used to assist blood pressure treatment in 19 Finnish hypertensive patients. Blood pressure control improved during the 3-month follow-up. Patient-to-Doc@home compliance was good, but study physicians found the system time consuming in the beginning. According to our results, the Doc@home telemedicine system showed a promising approach in hypertension treatment but needs some further development and trained staff to become a still more practical alternative.
Department of Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland. juha.varis@tyks.fi
Juha
J
Varis
Sampo
S
Karjalainen
Krista
K
Korhonen
Margus
M
Viigimaa
Kristjan
K
Port
Ilkka
I
Kantola
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015397:Program Evaluation; D017216:Telemedicine