Abstract P376: Home Blood Pressure Telemonitoring Linked With Community Health Workers to Improve Blood Pressure: The LINKED-BP Program

Background: Hypertension disparities persist in underserved populations in the United States. Presently, few implementation trials have focused on adults with elevated blood pressure (BP) or untreated stage 1 hypertension. To address this scientific gap, we have developed a pragmatic cluster-randomized controlled trial, the “LINKED-BP Program,” a patient-centered, multi-level intervention linking home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) via a telemonitoring platform (the Sphygmo BP application) that integrates Bluetooth-enabled validated BP devices, support from community health workers, and BP measurement training at primary care practices to improve BP. The LINKED-BP Program is one of the five studies in the RESTORE (Add RE ssing S ocial Determinants TO p R event hyp E rtension) Network, an American Heart Association-funded initiative focused on the prevention of hypertension. The study aims to examine the effect of the LINKED-BP Program on BP reduction, as well as to evaluate the reach, adoption, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness of the intervention. Methods: We are recruiting 600 adults with elevated BP or untreated stage 1 hypertension from 20 primary care practices that provide care to underserved populations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The practices are randomly assigned to the intervention or the enhanced usual care arm. Patients in the LINKED-BP Program receive training on HBPM with a validated home BP monitor, BP telemonitoring through the Sphygmo app, and community health worker visits for education and counseling on lifestyle modification over 12 months. Data are collected at baseline, 6, 12, and 24 months. The primary clinical outcome is a change from baseline in systolic BP at 6 and 12 months. Discussion: The LINKED-BP Program tests a sustainable, scalable approach to prevent hypertension and advance health equity. The study findings will inform implementation strategies that address social determinants of health and barriers to hypertension prevention in underserved populations.