Remote Monitoring Program Will Help Employees Fight Hypertension

An Internet-based feedback system, which uses a wireless blood pressure cuff and communicator, will aid volunteers for a new study to self-manage their blood pressure.

The system, named SmartBeat, was developed by The Center for Connected Health (Boston, MA, USA), which announced a collaboration with EMC Corporation (Hopkinton, MA, USA) to study how employees who have been diagnosed with hypertension can better manage their health through proactive monitoring and education. Approximately 400 U.S.-based EMC employees with hypertension or pre-hypertension will participate in the program on a volunteer basis. Participants selected at random use home blood pressure monitors that store and transmit data, and an Internet-based self-management system. Participants in the study take their blood pressure reading, on average, every three days, indicating a high level of interest and usage. All participating employees can securely and confidentially share personal data with their health care providers, and have access to personalized educational content with data-driven feedback. Aggregated results from the study are expected to be available in mid 2009.

"Employers are increasingly looking for innovative, consumer-centric approaches to create and maintain a healthy workforce and manage healthcare costs,” said Joseph C. Kvedar, M.D., director of The Center for Connected Health. "Our partnership with EMC is evaluating how simple technologies can help employees manage a chronic condition, such as high blood pressure, and may demonstrate how a web-based remote monitoring program can empower patients to improve their own health.”

"I was thinking of monitoring my blood pressure anyway. When I heard about the SmartBeat program, I figured that I would be more likely to do it on a regular basis,” said Amir Sharif, a development manager at EMC. "In addition to monitoring my blood pressure, I changed my diet and exercise program, to see if that would have an effect on my blood pressure. And, in fact, my blood pressure is down considerably, moving in the right direction.”

The SmartBeat program will also study how a web-based hypertension wellness program can influence health care costs and utilization, such as the number of doctor visits or the use of prescription medications to manage the condition.


Related Links:
The Center for Connected Health
EMC Corporation