Background: The potential of mobile-health (mHealth) technology for the management of hypertension among stroke survivors in Africa remains unexplored. We assessed whether an mHealth technology-enabled, nurse-guided intervention initiated among stroke patients within one month of symptom onset is effective in improving their blood pressure (BP) control.
Methods: A two-arm pilot cluster randomized controlled trial involving 60 stroke survivors, ≥18 years, with BP ≥140/90 mmHg at screening/enrollment visit at a medical center in Ghana. Participants in the intervention arm (n = 30) received a Blue-toothed BP device and smartphone with an App for monitoring BP measurements and medication intake under nurse guidance for three months after which intervention was withdrawn. Control arm (n = 30) received usual care. Primary outcome measure was proportion with clinic BP < 140/90 mmHg at month 9; secondary outcomes included medication adherence.
Findings: Mean ± SD age was 55 ± 13 years, 65% males. Two participants on intervention and three in control group were lost to follow-up. At month 9, proportion on the intervention versus controls with BP < 140/90 mmHg was 14/30 (46.7%) versus 12/30 (40.0%), p = 0.79 by intention-to-treat; systolic BP < 140 mmHg was 22/30 (73.3%) versus 13/30 (43.3%), p = 0.035. Mean ± SD medication possession ratio was 0.95 ± 0.16 on intervention versus 0.98 ± 0.24 in the control arm, p = 0.56.
Interpretation: We demonstrate feasibility and signal of improvement in BP control among stroke survivors in a resource-limited setting via an mHealth intervention. Larger scale studies are warranted.
Trial Registration: NCT02568137. Registered on 13 July 2015 at ClinicalTrials.gov.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1747493018816423 | DOI Listing |
Curr Neurovasc Res
January 2025
Department of Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
Background: Bilirubin plays a crucial role in the pathophysiological processes of strokes. However, the relationship between serum bilirubin levels and the prognosis of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) remains unexplored. This study aims to investigate the association between serum bilirubin levels and the mortality rate of aSAH patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnn Thorac Surg Short Rep
March 2024
Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Clin Nurs
January 2025
Health Behaviour Research Collaborative, School of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
Aims: To examine survivors' experiences of discharge information including risk communication after hospitalisation for a stroke and the characteristics associated with receiving information in accordance with their preferences.
Background: With advances in acute stroke care and an ageing population, the number of survivors of stroke is increasing. It is important that healthcare providers ensure patients have adequate information after a stroke-related hospitalisation.
J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis
January 2025
Occupational Therapy, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia; Neurorehabilitation and Recovery, The Florey, Heidelberg, Australia. Electronic address:
Objectives: Knowledge of the trajectory of post-stroke depression is important to identify high-risk patients, develop precise management programs and enhance prognosis. We aimed to characterise the course of depressive symptoms within the first year post-stroke and to evaluate associations with time.
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J Neural Eng
January 2025
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, MetroHealth Medical Center, 4229 Pearl Road, Suite N4-13, Cleveland, Ohio, 44109-1998, UNITED STATES.
Ipsilateral motor evoked potentials (iMEPs) are believed to represent cortically evoked excitability of uncrossed brainstem-mediated pathways. In the event of extensive injury to (crossed) corticospinal pathways, which can occur following a stroke, uncrossed ipsilateral pathways may serve as an alternate resource to support the recovery of the paretic limb. However, iMEPs, even in neurally intact people, can be small, infrequent, and noisy, so discerning them in stroke survivors is very challenging.
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