COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Sharisse Hebert

TITLE: IMPLEMENTING A MOBILE HEALTH SELF-MANAGEMENT APPLICATION TO IMPROVE BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL IN ADULTS WITH UNCONTROLLED HYPERTENSION IN PRIMARY CARE

ABSTRACT: Introduction: Uncontrolled hypertension continues to be a public health concern and a controllable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, stroke, and premature mortality. Despite the availability of effective antihypertensive therapies, poor medication adherence continues to contribute to inadequate blood pressure control, leading to lower Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) Controlling Blood Pressure (CBP) performance rates. Mobile health (mHealth) applications have been shown to be an effective tool to support medication adherence.

Purpose: This quality improvement project will evaluate whether adding the MyTherapy mobile application to usual care improves medication adherence and blood pressure control among adults aged 18-85 with uncontrolled blood pressure over an 8-week period with an additional 4-week evaluation to assess sustainability, as measured by a 10-point percentage increase in the HEDIS CBP performance rate.

Methods: This project will use a quantitative, quasi-experimental, one-group pretest-posttest design in a private practice in Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas. Eligible participants will include adults aged 18-85 years with uncontrolled hypertension taking at least one hypertensive medication who own a smartphone operating on the iOS or Android platform. Participants will receive education and instructions on the MyTherapy application to support medication adherence through reminders and adherence tracking. The primary outcome will be the clinic’s HEDIS CBP performance rate obtained from the clinic’s quality metric. The baseline HEDIS CBP performance rate of 52% will be compared with the post-intervention rate to determine whether the targeted 10-point percentage increase to 62% is achieved. Medication adherence will be assessed using MyTherapy adherence log. MyTherapy adherence log will also be collected to describe participants’ medication-taking behavior during the intervention.

Keywords: Uncontrolled hypertension, Primary Care, Mobile Health Applications, medication reminders

Zoom Link:

https://pvpanther.zoom.us/j/84987838182?pwd=YjuDzTzo5S7CuGrAGPmaaXeaCXIFCR.1

Meeting ID: 849 8783 8182

Passcode: 127920