The Home Blood Pressure Monitoring in Pregnancy programme

Published on: 01/07/2021

The Scottish Government Technology Supporting Maternity Care COG developed the suite of guidance documents and information for women to underpin rapid roll-out of supported self-monitoring of blood pressure in pregnancy, initially as Covid-response during Spring and Summer of 2020. While many aspects of antenatal care can be safely accomplished using virtual contacts, blood pressure monitoring and urine analysis are key aspects of antenatal care, undertaken as a routine at each antenatal contact.

The overall objective of this study was to investigate the impact and acceptability, for women and healthcare professionals, of rapid rollout of supported self-monitoring of BP for high-risk and shielded pregnant women across Scotland during the coronavirus (COVID)-19 pandemic, using semi-structured telephone interviews with midwives, obstetricians and women who were using self-monitoring of blood pressure services in three Health Boards.  The semi-structured interviews assessed acceptability and experiences of women and staff.  Overall most women had a positive experience of the programme, were confident using the equipment and viewed self-monitoring as an addition to their care rather than a replacement.  Staff experiences differed across NHS Board areas. Staff generally appreciated national guidance and felt confident showing women how to use the machines.  Some staff felt local processes and protocols re. managing and responding to women was initially lacking, causing confusion and professional stress.

A presentation and discussion of the study is available on YouTube