Pharmacist-led remote monitoring for hypertension management: A longitudinal descriptive study of patient and pharmacist experiences

BACKGROUND: Over 50% of patients with hypertension are suboptimally managed, offering the opportunity for pharmacists to leverage technology to support monitoring. The objective of this study was to evaluate patient and pharmacist attitudes, experiences, and perspectives of a remote, pharmacist-led hypertension management program that incorporated a mobile health (mHealth) application into routine care. METHODS: This was a 6-month longitudinal descriptive feasibility study using A&D Heart Track to monitor home blood pressure (BP) alongside pharmacist consultation. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining facilitated patient and pharmacist surveys administered at multiple time points with qualitative interviews. This paper reports the quantitative survey findings, with qualitative interview findings reported separately. Survey responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: The study enrolled 17 patients, and 8 pharmacists were involved in their care. At 6 months, 94% of patients reported satisfaction with the mHealth application and 88% felt better cared for knowing a pharmacist was monitoring their readings. Patients reported sustained comfort with the technology and consistently positive perceptions of pharmacist accessibility. At 6 months, all pharmacists agreed or strongly agreed that the application would help them provide better care and increase their involvement in patients' care. CONCLUSION: This study provides descriptive evidence that a pharmacist-led, remote monitoring approach for hypertension management was feasible from the perspectives of patients and pharmacists in a Canadian primary care setting, based on patient satisfaction and comfort with technology and pharmacist-reported manageability of mHealth application use. These findings may help inform the expansion of telehealth services and their application to other chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes.