User Attitudes and Technological Adoption in Hypertension Self-Monitoring

Hypertension is a major cardiovascular risk factor worldwide, and self-monitoring blood pressure (SMBP) is critical for its management. However, inconsistent SMBP practices persist due to unclear guidelines and suboptimal technology adoption. This research explores hypertensive patients’ attitudes towards SMBP, their experiences with blood pressure (BP) technologies, and the acceptability of emerging options including cuffless devices and conceptual digital support features. We adopted a mixed-methods approach, with a survey (n=61) and five exploratory participatory design sessions. Our findings show that while patients value SMBP, traditional BP monitors can be burdensome and anxiety-inducing, while cuffless technologies offer greater potential for seamless integration into daily life. Users expressed a need for less intrusive monitoring and tailored advice, and we contribute three exploratory attitudinal profiles characterising different approaches to SMBP to inform future design. Synthesising both studies, we characterise SMBP as a boundary case for personal informatics design in which individual readings rarely afford immediate action, so supporting interpretation, reassurance, and emotionally sustainable engagement matters as much as supporting measurement itself.