The Prevent-U Application: Developing Mobile Phone Application for Elderly with Risk of Hypertension in Thailand (Study Protocol)

Abstract

Currently, hypertension is one of five major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Thailand that places a large burden on the public health system and in terms of health care costs. Hypertension affects a patient’s essential bodily functions, can damage and deteriorate arteries, and may lead to serious health problems. While much previous research has focused on hypertension patients, there is a lack of studies about the prevention of hypertension among elderly people at risk for developing hypertension. So, we conducted an action research study to develop a mobile phone application, called Prevent-U, for the elderly at risk of developing hypertension. Lasting a total of 9 months, this study consisted of 4 phases (PDCA). After participants completed the application, we evaluated the user satisfaction with the application among 45 participants. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. Factors related to high blood pressure were lack of physical activity, poor food consumption behavior, having a moderate level of stress, and not consistently measuring their blood pressure. We integrated these factors into creating application. The Prevent-U application consisted of 5 systems: personal mode, data mode, collecting mode, report mode, and consult mode. Based on the data from 45 participants, the mean score of overall user satisfaction was 2.53. A mobile phone application for preventing hypertension is an intervention that may capture the interest of patient and lead to positive outcomes. We selected this format to encourage participants to take care of their blood pressure and ultimately to change poor behavior that can lead to developing hypertension. Our preliminary results show that our application may help engage patients in managing and controlling their blood pressure. However, we are still waiting for the results of a study on the process of implementation of this application.