New self-management technologies for the treatment of hypertension: General practitioners' perspectives

Background. Digital health interventions, such as those that can be delivered via smartphone applications (apps) or wireless blood pressure monitors, offer a new, scalable and potentially cost-effective way to improve hypertension self-management. In Ireland, as is common in the UK, the majority of hypertension management occurs in general practice. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate how general practitioners (GPs) feel about and engage with the growth of these new methods of self-management of blood pressure. Aim. To explore GPs' perspectives of self-management technology to support medication adherence and blood pressure control in patients with hypertension. Design and setting. This was a qualitative interview study based in the West of Ireland. Ten GPs who were purposively sampled participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was carried out on the data. Results. Three major themes were identified: current reach and future potential, empowerment and responsibility. Conclusions. GPs could see the benefit of using these technologies, such as more accurate blood pressure data and potential to engage patients in self-management. Concerns relating to the increased workload associated with a potentially unmanageable quantity of information and an increase in healthcare use among the 'worried well' also emerged strongly from the data.