Impact of telenursing on blood pressure and body mass index of people with prehypertension: A randomized controlled clinical trial

Background: Prehypertension is an important global health challenge. This study determines the effect of telenursing on Blood Pressure (BP) and Body Mass Index (BMI) in patients with prehypertension. Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial study included 81 patients with prehypertension discharged from an emergency room at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (Iran) in 2016. Participants joined a session about hypertension, risk factors, and lifestyle modification to reduce its risk. Using a random number table, 41 subjects were assigned to the experimental group and 40 subjects to the control group. Only the experimental group received four SMS messages each week and a 10–15 min phone call once a month to help them change their lifestyle and reinforce their health behaviors. Eventually, patients’ information was collected, and the data were analyzed using independent t , paired t , and Chi‑square tests. Results: The experimental group after the intervention had a significantly lower mean (Standard Deviation [SD]) of Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) (from 126.67 [5.15] to 119.21 [5.72] [ t 40 = 8.40, p < 0.001]) and Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) [from 85.28 (2.29) to 78.79 (4.16) ( t 40 = 10.02, p < 0.001)]. However, the same means were not significantly different in the control group [SBP ( p = 0.116) and DBP ( p = 0.096)]. The mean (SD) of changes between BMI before and after the intervention was ‑0.75 (0.66) in the experimental and 0.042 (0.41) in the control group, which was significantly different between the two groups ( t 79= –6.44, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Telenursing can have potential benefits to maintain BP within the normal range and reduce BMI in patients with prehypertension.