A Comparative Study of Blood Pressure Submission Between Mobile App Users and Non-Users in Romania: A Pilot Cohort Study

Liviu Ionut Serbanoiu^1,2Stefan Sebastian Busnatu^1,2*Elena Andreea Lacraru^1,2Maria Alexandra Pana^1,2Suzana Guberna^1,2Dragos Trache^1,2Plesu Elena^1,2Catalina Liliana Andrei^1,2Crina Sinescu^1,2

• ¹Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania
• ²Emergency Clinical Hospital Bagdasar Arseni, Bucharest, Romania

In Romania, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a significant public health concern. Currently, home blood pressure (BP) monitoring is not strictly adhered to. This study assessed the user experience of individuals with and without cardiovascular disease (CVD) after using eHealth. 24 participants were enrolled in a prospective cohort study that used a watch application for telemonitoring, and 176 without the watch app included through an online questionnaire. A total of 176 participants were chosen, irrespective of whether they had CVD. A total of 176 participants without the application were interviewed to compare the results of the 24 patients in the cohort. The results comprised submissions of blood pressure data and app-use metrics. Of the participants, 58.3% in study were males and 41.7% were females. The average age of participants was 50.57 years. The average number of days the app used was 47.5 days out of 60 days, the average number of days for blood pressure submissions was 31.79 days out of 60 days, and the average number of steps per day was 4624 steps per day. There was moderate and periodic involvement with significant variability. Active usage days and blood pressure submissions showed a favorable correlation. A total of 176 patients without the app were surveyed for their blood pressure submissions as a reference group. Averaging 31.79 submissions out of 60 days as opposed to 7.41 days out of 60 days in the non-app group. Higher means and ranges indicated stronger app group involvement. This pilot study indicated that Romanian patients are more likely to use mobile health technology for the treatment of hypertension. These findings suggest that those using telemonitoring equipment may comply with recording and transmitting vital signs more often than those receiving standard care. However, small sample sizes, bias in self-selection, and lack of randomization are among its drawbacks. To assess the practicality of cardiac telemonitoring applications, a more thorough study with larger samples, control groups, long-term follow-up, and other outcomes is required, and will be implemented in future studies. The burden of cardiovascular disease in Romania can be reduced through patient empowerment and clinician collaboration.