Telemedicine and remote monitoring to overcome therapeutic inertia in blood pressure control: An integrative review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17795553Keywords:
Hypertension, Telemedicine, Remote patient monitoring, Therapeutic inertia, Mobile health, Integrative reviewAbstract
Introduction: Arterial hypertension remains a global challenge marked by suboptimal control rates and high prevalence of therapeutic inertia. Digital transformation offers new avenues to optimize clinical management. This study aimed to analyze evidence on the efficacy of telemedicine and remote monitoring for blood pressure (BP) control, treatment adherence and health-resource utilization.
Methods: An integrative literature review was conducted following Whittemore and Knafl. Exhaustive searches were performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar for articles published 2015–2025. Clinical trials, observational studies and systematic reviews were included. Findings were synthesized thematically into clinical efficacy, behavioral impact, technological innovations and implementation barriers.
Results: Telemonitoring is superior to standard care, achieving mean reductions of 4.8 mmHg in systolic BP and 2.1 mmHg in diastolic BP, largely by enabling timely therapy adjustments. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions significantly improve medication adherence and lifestyle modification. Although wearables and artificial intelligence promise personalized care, implementation faces critical barriers such as digital literacy gaps in older adults, lack of interoperability and regulatory challenges.
Conclusions: Telemedicine is an effective, cost-effective strategy to improve BP control and reduce hospitalizations for hypertensive crises. Large-scale success requires hybrid models combining technological efficiency with human clinical supervision, prioritizing equity of digital access to avoid worsening health disparities.
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