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Hypertension Remote Monitoring
This service uses a digital health platform to support our patients in monitoring their blood pressure from the comfort of their home.
What is hypertension?
Hypertension is otherwise known as high blood pressure. We need to address high blood pressure to help reduce the strain on the rest of the body. Persistent high blood pressure puts you at risk of conditions like heart disease, heart attacks or strokes.
Ideal blood pressure is usually considered to be between 90/60mmHg and 120/80mmHg. This can differ depending on other health conditions and age.
What do you use to monitor hypertension remotely?
At Healthcare Central London (HCL), we use a platform called VISO, created by Omron, which allows patients to monitor their blood pressure (BP) from the comfort of their own home.
How does the monitoring work?
Patients will submit three consecutive BP readings twice daily via the VISO app on their phone for the first seven days of home monitoring. This will mean you have a completed a check-in!
The platform then generates tailored medication plans recommended directly to their clinician, who can then accept or modify plans at their discretion.
Once our clinical pharmacist confirms these medication plans, the patient is informed via their mobile app.
The recommendations are clinically proven medication techniques for Hypertension and are based on the NICE guidelines.
Who is eligible?
Eligible patients include:
- Patients under 80 years old with a hypertension diagnosis and who are digitally capable can use the service.
- Patients over 80 or with other long-term health conditions are not currently recommended to use the platform for safety reasons.
How does Healthcare Central London recruit patients?
Patients who are already listed on our database as needing Hypertension management are proactively approached by our Care Coordinators to use the service.
Patients will initially receive an SMS via the practice SystmOne unit, inviting them to register themselves on the VISO platform. They will then receive a follow-up call from a Care Coordinator to explain the project in more depth and invite them to use the platform.
Can my Practice refer me to use the service?
Practices can refer patients to start remote BP monitoring using VISO. The service can be discussed and recommended to eligible patients at their annual Hypertension review or mentioned at routine appointments.
Who supplies the BP monitors?
Eligible patients are expected to have or buy their own Blood Pressure monitors.
What are the main benefits of the service?
- Sharing of accurate and up-to-date information with the clinician
- Saving time with home monitoring reducing travel or a visit to the surgery
- Staying ahead of the right treatment agreed by you and the clinician
- Making faster progress towards target blood pressure
What do patients say about the service?
- “I prefer using the app to taking photographs of bits of paper that don’t allow me to track my blood pressure as well” – Patient IM, aged 67 years
- “At my age it is good to check what my blood pressure is and the platform helps me to do this at home so I can see if there are any problems” – Patient PS, aged 78 years
- “I think it’s a easy way to get my blood pressure to the clinical team without having to go to the surgery, who can action it and let me know what to do” – Patient AM, aged 64 years