Pilot Study of Standard Office Based Follow Up Versus Text Based Remote Monitoring in the Management of Postpartum Hypertension Dr. Adi Hirshberg, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine Hypertension is a leading cause of maternal morbidity, mortality and obstetrical readmissions. Peak blood pressure usually occurs 3‐6 days postpartum, and is typically unaccompanied by warning symptoms. Although there is a clear need for effective and reliable blood pressure surveillance after delivery, there are significant obstacles to in‐person visits in the immediate postpartum period, including sleep deprivation, care of a newborn, transportation needs, and post‐delivery recovery. These barriers have proven real as we observed only 30‐50% attendance to office blood pressure visits shortly after delivery. Given the mediocre show rate using this primary strategy for preventing morbidity, we piloted an alternative, innovative approach using text messaging to interact with patients and receive blood pressure values. In our 32 patient pilot, we utilized continuous patient feedback through interviews to improve the text‐based engagement strategy. Overall, 84% of patients texted at least one blood pressure and nearly 65% sent in blood pressures on 5 of the 7 days requested. This texting pilot demonstrated both feasibility and a promising level of patient engagement. However, prior to widespread adoption, further evaluation of the effectiveness of this text‐based innovative strategy compared to usual visit‐based care is needed. We propose 1) the development of an automated text‐based blood pressure response platform and 2) a randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of text‐
based remote surveillance versus usual care in the immediate postpartum period. Effectiveness will be measured by patient engagement via ascertainment of blood pressure readings and satisfaction and physician ability to treat elevated blood pressures.