Rapid implementation of blood pressure self-monitoring in pregnancy at a UK NHS Trust during the COVID-19 pandemic: a quality improvement evaluation.

Abstract

Background: This service evaluation describes the rapid implementation of self-monitoring of blood pressure (SMBP) into maternity care at a tertiary referral centre during the COVID-19 pandemic. It summarises findings, identifies knowledge gaps and provides recommendations for further research and practice.

Intervention: Pregnant and postpartum women monitored their blood pressure (BP) at home, with instructions on actions to take if their BP exceeded pre-determined thresholds. Some also conducted proteinuria self-testing.

Data collection and analysis: Maternity records, app data and staff feedback were used in interim evaluations to assess process effectiveness and guide adjustments, employing a Plan-Do-Study-Act and root cause analysis approach.

Results: Between March 2020 and August 2021, a total of 605 women agreed to self-monitor their BP, including 10 women with limited English. 491 registered for telemonitoring (81.2%). 21 (3.5%) took part in urine self-testing. Engagement was high and increased over time with no safety issues. Biggest concerns related to monitor supply and postnatal monitoring. In December 2020, SMBP was integrated into the standard maternity care pathway.

Conclusions: This project demonstrated successful integration of SMBP into maternity care. Early stakeholder engagement and clear guidance were crucial and community midwifery support essential. Supplying BP monitors throughout pregnancy and post partum could improve the service and fully digitised maternity records would aid data collection. More research is needed on SMBP in the postnatal period and among non-English speakers. These findings support efforts to implement app-supported self-monitoring and guide future research.