A Systematic Review of the Role of Telemedicine in Blood Pressure Control: Focus on Patient Engagement

Purpose of Review: To systematically review and synthesize the existing evidence on the effects of different telemedicine interventions on improving patient engagement among patients with hypertension. Patient engagement is defined as patients’ knowledge, skills, ability, and willingness to manage their healthcare within the context of interventions designed to promote positive patient behaviors. Recent Findings: Telemedicine is a rapidly growing method of healthcare services delivery. Telemedicine interventions are mainly used to facilitate communication between the patient and provider, measure, record, and track blood pressure, and educate and train patients about managing their blood pressure. Findings from several studies indicate the evidence of patient engagement, adherence to the care plan, improvement in knowledge about blood pressure, and patient satisfaction with telemedicine interventions for blood pressure. Summary: Telemedicine interventions need to be customized depending on patient demographics and socioeconomic characteristics such as age and education level to ensure optimal patient engagement