Efficiency Evaluation of a Pilot Telemedicine System to Monitor High Blood Pressures in Binh Duong Province (Vietnam)

Cardiovascular disease and stroke due to high blood pressure continue to be one of the leading causes of death in Vietnam and elsewhere. Continuous control of patients’ blood pressures plays, hence, a vital role in reducing the risks of these diseases. We implemented a telemedicine system to monitor the blood pressure of hypertensive patients in Binh Duong province. This cyber medical system consisted of a Tele-Blood Pressure device, a software program for servers, and an application for smartphones. Besides, it provided considerable utilities for doctors to better take care of patients. In the project described here, we evaluated the efficiency. First, two groups (control and treatment) of 100 patients each who had histories of high blood pressure were selected using randomized controlled trials (RCT) method. Second, pretest–posttest experiments were conducted. During 18 months both groups were monitored by the same 3 physicians and 4 nurses from the beginning to the end. The obtained results were compared using paired t-test or chi-square test. At the end of the study, a survey of the satisfaction of all aspect of the system was conducted to all patients of the treatment group, physicians and nurses. The percentages of satisfactions were well above 82%. This study will be extended at a larger scale, especially in the remote areas where the healthcare needs to be improved.