Mobile Health Monitoring: Development and Implementation of an App in a Diabetes and Hypertension Clinic

Significant effort is being spent on providing better control of health in patients suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension in United States. About 1 in 5 adults are suffering from diabetes or hypertension and more than $13,700 per year is spent on each patient diagnosed with diabetes [1]. The increasing cost of healthcare is a big concern not only to the nation but across the world. The total estimated cost in United States to treat diabetes alone was $245 Billion in 2012 [1]. This paper explains the development and implementation of a mobile ambulatory blood pressure monitoring technique in a Diabetes and Hypertension Clinic. Based on the patient data collected, we performed a cost benefit analysis of its use in the clinic as compared to using routine clinical cuff BP measurements. We found that the use of this app assists patients and providers to control chronic disease states through validated continuous monitoring and medication control. It also proved to be more effective and satisfying to the patients and providers.