Remote Surveillance of Postpartum Hypertension

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.

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.