Best practice to improve blood pressure management

Liliane Offredo-Zreik, co-Founder, Sano Health and Dr. Raj Padwal, CEO mmHg

Hypertension is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, affecting nearly 1.5 billion individuals. In the US alone, more than 1.5 million people suffer a heart attack or stroke1 every year due to hypertension.

Many people get a blood pressure measurement during their yearly check-up (assuming they get a yearly check-up). Not only is this insufficient but measuring blood pressure in a medical setting does not always produce the most accurate reading. This is because in-office measurement is confounded by white coat effect (affects about 30% of patients) and masked effect (affects about 10-20% or patients). White coat effect occurs when the office BP is high, but the out-of-office BP is normal and medication treatment is not recommended. Masked effect is present when the office BP is normal, yet the out-of-office BP is high.

The best way to monitor BP is to take regular readings in a home environment, with readings automatically sent to a care provider. One week reading averages are recommended by clinical practice guidelines:

  • Clinically approved blood pressure monitors that transmit readings typically connect via Bluetooth to a mobile device.
  • A mobile device with an app that communicates with the BP monitor and has data connectivity to securely transmit the data to the care provider.

For many patients, this set up presents many challenges:

  • An RPM app must be downloaded to the mobile device. Many patients find this confusing to do, their devices may be too old or inadequate or may lack sufficient memory.
  • The device must be paired with the BP monitor over Bluetooth. Many patients find this confusing, or the versions of Bluetooth may be incompatible.
  • The patient must either use Wi-Fi or a wireless connection for data upload. For many patients, broadband (mobile or fixed) is a luxury they cannot afford.

Sano Health and mmHg offer a joint solution which addresses these impediments:

  • SanoCare is a patient facing mobile device with mobile data, preconfigured with the healthcare apps and other resources the patient needs (for example SDoH). The RPM app is preloaded on the device and the device is pre-paired with the RPM peripherals.
  • Sphygmo is a comprehensive RPM software platform that supports guideline concordant, patient directed vital signs remote monitoring. It consists of a user-friendly patient app and a rich provider portal. Sphygmo works with all clinically validated peripherals
  • Clinically validated devices. See Validatebp.org for the US listing.

The patient receives the kit fully configured and ready to use. With SanoCare, the care manager can send reminders for patients who lapse, conduct telehealth sessions, or conduct mini surveys.

Providing the patient with an easy to use, fully configured solution improves patient activation and helps patients control their BP while reducing the burden on care managers.

Learn about the SanoCare/Sphygmo joint solution.

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1. Benjamin EJ, Muntner P, Alonso A, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2019 update: a report from the American Heart Association external icon. Circulation. 2019; 139: e1–e473.

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