Remote Surveillance of Postpartum Hypertension (TextBP)

Women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy need postpartum blood pressure (BP) surveillance to detect persistent hypertension. Various barriers result in only 30% attendance at postpartum BP visits. A more effective strategy is needed. Women with hypertension of pregnancy will be randomized to either text-based monitoring or office visits. Those randomized to the intervention will receive a BP cuff and text in their BP to an automated, clinician derived, HIPAA compliant text-based algorithm.

Hypertension is a leading cause of maternal morbidity, mortality and obstetrical readmissions. Peak blood pressure usually occurs 3-6 days postpartum, and is typically unaccompanied by warning symptoms. Although there is a clear need for effective and reliable blood pressure surveillance after delivery, there are significant obstacles to in-person visits in the immediate postpartum period, including sleep deprivation, newborn care, and transportation needs. These barriers have proven real as we observed only 30-50% attendance to office blood pressure visits following delivery. This proposal will investigate whether text-based communication between patients and providers is an effective alternative method for monitoring postpartum hypertension in at risk women. Women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy with access to a cell phone with unlimited text message capabilities will be randomized to either office visit blood pressure checks after discharge or receive a blood pressure cuff and text in blood pressures for two weeks postpartum using a standardized, HIPAA compliant, physician derived automated platform.

The study will be a randomized, two arm trial. Patient will be randomized to usual one time office visit based blood pressure check or to text-message based remote surveillance for two weeks. Randomization will be performed using a computer generated sequence using REDCAP. Demographic information will be collected from those who decline randomization or are ineligible in order to assess patient characteristics of those willing to be randomized and who meet eligibility.

Those randomized to the standard protocol for blood pressure monitoring will be scheduled for an office based nursing blood pressure visits 4-6 days postpartum. Care at this visit is based on a physician derived algorithm.

Those randomized to remote surveillance will be provided with electronic blood pressure monitors prior to discharge and instructed on their use. Every day, for two weeks post-discharge, patients will receive a standard text message in the morning from a HIPAA compliant automated monitoring system reminding them to text their blood pressure. They will be asked to send in one blood pressure a day at minimum. They may be asked to send in more depending on the blood pressure result and clinical algorithm. This system will provide timely responses to patient texts and create a physician derived response to elevated blood pressures based on a programmed algorithm. Additionally, for blood pressures that reach a dangerous threshold, a clinical provider will be alerted per the algorithm and contact the patient for further evaluation.

Women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy with access to a cell phone with unlimited text message capabilities will be randomized to either office visit blood pressure checks after discharge or receive a blood pressure cuff and text in blood pressures for two weeks postpartum using a standardized, HIPAA compliant, physician derived automated platform.

the percentage of patients in which a single blood pressure is obtained in the first 10 days following discharge. Within the texting group, the percentage of patients in whom blood pressures values are obtained at 72 hours and 7-10 days postpartum, in accordance with American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommendations, will be assessed as well.

Number of Participants Who Required Antihypertensive Medication Initiation or Dose Adjustment Within 2 Weeks Postpartum

Number of participants who required antihypertensive medication initiation or dose adjustment within 2 weeks postpartum

Number of Participants Who Required Additional ER or Office Visits for Hypertension (Not Resulting in Readmission) Within 2 Weeks Postpartum

Number of participants who required additional ER or office visits for hypertension (not resulting in readmission) within 2 weeks postpartum

Patient who would recommend the program to a family or friend as per the Patient Satisfaction Survey completed at 2 weeks postpartum.

Inclusion Criteria: Women with chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, or preeclampsia who deliver at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania will be eligible to participate. All patients must be > 18 years old, able to speak and read English, have a hypertension diagnosis, and have access to a cell phone with unlimited text message capabilities. Exclusion Criteria: Women without access to a cell phone with unlimited text message capabilities will be excluded from the study in order to eliminate barriers to participate in remote surveillance. However, we will track the number of women not eligible for this reason in order to understand generalizability in an urban population.

Hirshberg A, Downes K, Srinivas S. Comparing standard office-based follow-up with text-based remote monitoring in the management of postpartum hypertension: a randomised clinical trial. BMJ Qual Saf. 2018 Nov;27(11):871-877. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2018-007837. Epub 2018 Apr 27.