The Smart Hypertension Control Study (iSmartHyp)

Improving Hypertension Using a Smartphone-Enabled Personal Control Program: The Smart Hypertension Control Study

Investigators at Northwestern University will partner with Omron Healthcare Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Omron") to conduct a randomized controlled trial of a hypertension personal control program (HPCP), known as Lark HTN Pro with a home blood pressure monitoring device (HBMD) compared to a HBMD alone. The overarching goal of this study is to investigate the effects of the HPCP on blood pressure, blood pressure self-management behaviors, and healthy lifestyle behaviors among adults with hypertension.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Hypertension
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Hypertension Coaching Application and Home Monitor; Other: Control: Tracking Application and Home Monitor

Detailed Description

The study team used structured language queries of electronic health record data from the Northwestern Medicine Enterprise Data Warehouse (NMEDW) to identify potentially-eligible participants with elevated blood pressure and exclude patients with clinical exclusion criteria from Northwestern Medical Group outpatient practices. During the on-site visit individuals were asked to provide written informed consent and have blood pressure measured in a standardized fashion to see if this inclusion criteria is met.

We conducted a non-blinded randomized controlled trial among hypertensive adults in NMG outpatient clinics. We randomized participants in a 1:1 fashion to the intervention group (HPCP + HBMD) or the comparator group (HBMD alone). Randomization was performed using a centralized computer-generated assignment sequence uploaded a priori to Northwestern University's REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) application. Randomization was stratified by: age (<65 or ≥65 years of age) and baseline systolic blood pressure (<145 or ≥145 mmHg) to optimize the likelihood of obtaining similar populations in each treatment group.

We recruited adults with elevated blood pressure as assessed by in-person standardized examination at baseline. We measured change in blood pressure by in-person examination at 6 months. We recruited between 350 to 400 participants in order to have 333 participants with analyzable data at the time of study completion. If changes were deemed necessary, a revision to the study protocol was submitted to the IRB for review and approval prior to implementing these changes.

Control group participants were provided with a home blood pressure monitoring device (HBMD) (Omron BP761N Bluetooth Smart Automatic Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor) and will be instructed in its use at the baseline study visit. Participant also received an information sheet describing home blood pressure monitoring that gives advice for how to respond to different home readings. At the baseline visit, participants were instructed to install an Omron application to their smart phone device (to monitor use of the HBMD). Participants continued to receive all routine care, including anti-hypertensive medications as prescribed by their regular clinicians.

The intervention group received all the interventions provided to the control group. Intervention group participants were sent a hyperlink to install the hypertension personal control program (HPCP) ("Lark HTN Pro"), which is a smartphone application installed on their iOS device during their initial office visit (screening/baseline) and successfully took a reading from their HBMD. The HPCP has blood pressure, medication, and weight monitoring, including periodic reminders for the user to measure blood pressure, measure weight, and take their medication(s). The HPCP provides real-time feedback based on user input, such as out-of-range measurements and has additional features designed to encourage behavior change in areas such as dietary intake, physical activity, sleep, and stress reduction.

Study participants were required to return for a 6-month study visit (within 2 weeks before to 4 weeks after). During the 6-month visit, subjects had their height/weight and blood pressure measured again. Participants also repeated questionnaires related to their current cardiovascular medications. They also completed questionnaires measuring: medication adherence, self-efficacy, diet, physical activity, and sleep duration. An exit survey was provided to participants at the end of the 6-month follow up visit to obtain feedback on Lark and Omron apps usability.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 333
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Illinois
    • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611
      • Northwestern Medical Group

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 85 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults aged 18 years to <85 years at the time of screening
• Standardized mean blood pressure measurement ≥135 to <180 mmHg systolic or ≥85 to <110 mmHg diastolic
• Have and use an iOS device(s) (iPhone generation 5s or newer)
• Able to provide written informed consent prior to participation in the study
• Receive their primary care from a Northwestern Medicine clinic site

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current user of the HCPC (Lark HTN Pro)
• Standardized mean blood pressure measurement ≥180 mmHg systolic or ≥110 mmHg diastolic
• Persistent atrial fibrillation as indicated in the electronic health record (EHR)
• Pregnant or planning to become pregnant during the study period
• Severe kidney disease, defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate <30 per 1.73 m2 or currently on renal replacement therapy (i.e. hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis)
• Hearing impaired and unable to respond to phone calls
• Lack of fluency in English
• History of a cardiovascular event (stroke, transient ischemic attack, myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass grafting) in the past 3 months
• Diagnosis of dementia as indicated in the electronic health record
• Diagnosis of psychosis as indicated in the electronic health record
• Terminal cancer diagnosis or NYHA III or IV heart failure
• Deemed unsuitable for study by primary care provider
• Individuals requiring BP monitor cuff size larger than 17 inches or 42cm

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: OTHER
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: NONE

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: Intervention: Hypertension Coaching Application and Home Monitor: The intervention group will receive all the interventions provided to the control group. In addition, intervention group participants will install on their mobile phone the hypertension personal control program (HPCP) ("Lark HTN Pro"), which is a smartphone application. The intervention group will have the HPCP installed on their iOS device during their initial office visit (screening/baseline) and will successfully take a reading from their HBMD. The HPCP has blood pressure, medication, and weight monitoring, including periodic reminders for the user to measure blood pressure, measure weight, and take their medication(s). The HPCP provides real-time feedback based on user input, such as out-of-range measurements and has additional features designed to encourage behavior change in areas such as dietary intake, physical activity, sleep, and stress reduction. Users can set goals and receive guidance and feedback through the app.	Other: Hypertension Coaching Application and Home Monitor; The intervention group will have the HPCP installed on their iOS device during their initial office visit (screening/baseline) and will successfully take a reading from their HBMD; Other Names: Lark HTN Pro
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: Control:Tracking Application and Home Monitor: Control group participants will be provided with a home blood pressure monitoring device (HBMD) (Omron BP761N Bluetooth Smart Automatic Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor) and will be instructed in its use at the baseline study visit. Participants will also receive an information sheet describing home blood pressure monitoring that gives advice for how to respond to different home readings. At the baseline visit, participants will be instructed to install an Omron application to their smart phone device (to monitor use of the HBMD). Participants will continue to receive all routine care, including anti-hypertensive medications as prescribed by their regular clinicians.	Other: Control: Tracking Application and Home Monitor; Control group participants will be provided with a home blood pressure monitoring device (HBMD) (Omron BP761N Bluetooth Smart Automatic Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor) and will be instructed in its use at the baseline study visit. Participants will also receive an information sheet describing home blood pressure monitoring that gives advice for how to respond to different home readings. At the baseline visit, participants will be instructed to install an Omron application to their smart phone device (to monitor use of the HBMD). Participants will continue to receive all routine care, including anti-hypertensive medications as prescribed by their regular clinicians.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Blood Pressure at 6 Months	6 months
Blood Pressure <140/90mmHg	6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Antihypertensive Agents Used	Number of self reported antihypertensive medication drug classes taken	6 months
Antihypertensive Medication Intensification, No. of Additions, Dose Increases, or Substitutions	Number of antihypertensive drug classes that were increased, added or substituted for another drug class	6 months
Number of Health System Contacts (Telephone, Office, or Mychart Encounters)		6 months
Frequency of Home Blood Pressure Measurements Per Month	Frequency of home blood pressure measurements per month derived from home blood pressure monitor for months when home monitoring occurred	6 months
Months When a Home Blood Pressure Reading is Obtained, No.	Number of months out of the 6 month study period when at least one home blood pressure reading was obtained	6 months
Self-efficacy: Confidence in Controlling High Blood Pressure	Self reported response to :How confident are you that you will be able to get your blood pressure controlled and keep it there during the next few months? Reponses were on a 5-point scale ranging from (1) not at all confident to (5) extremely confident.	6 months
BMI	Body mass index is calculated as the weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.	6 months
Diet Quality Score (as Assessed by Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Questionnaire, DASH-Q	Sum of responses represents intake of foods associated with the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet. Range is from 0 to 77 with a higher score indicating better diet. Scores 32 and below indicate a low-quality diet, scores 33 to 51 indicate a medium-quality diet, and scores greater than or equal to 52 indicate a high-quality diet.	6 months
Minutes Per Week of Self-reported Physical Activity	Self-reported physical activity in minutes per week of at least moderate exercise	6 months
Self-reported Sleep Duration		6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Northwestern University
• Collaborators: Omron Healthcare Co., Ltd.
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Stephen D Persell, MD/MPH, Northwestern Medicine

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Persell SD, Peprah YA, Lipiszko D, Lee JY, Li JJ, Ciolino JD, Karmali KN, Sato H. Effect of Home Blood Pressure Monitoring via a Smartphone Hypertension Coaching Application or Tracking Application on Adults With Uncontrolled Hypertension: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Mar 2;3(3):e200255. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.0255.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (ACTUAL): September 21, 2017
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): April 28, 2019
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): December 1, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 15, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 18, 2017
• First Posted (ACTUAL): September 19, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): April 15, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 14, 2022
• Last Verified: April 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Cardiovascular Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Hypertension
• Other Study ID Numbers: STU00205025

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No