Patient Reactions to Vital Sign Measures: Comparing Home Monitoring Technology to Face-to-Face Delivery

Increasingly home health agencies are using home-based technologies to monitor vital signs of chronically ill patients. Patients receive measurements such as blood pressure and weight that indicate risks to their health. Cognitive reactions to risk measures have been studied for face-to-face delivery; however, it is unknown whether the same reactions exist with technology delivery. Reported in this article are study results of a comparative content expert analysis of reactions to technology-delivered health-risk measures. Results suggest that patients have the similar reactions but may be more likely to just accept, without evaluating or considering threats to their health. As home telemonitoring applications continue to evolve, care must be taken avoid creating passive patients and develop best practices that use technology to encourage beneficial self-care behaviors.