Specialty (if any): Obstetrics & Gynecology

Keywords: maternal health, health education, digital health applications

Background: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy remain one of the leading causes of maternal morbidity and mortality in Ghana. Increased awareness and timely intervention are critical to ensure improved maternal and neonatal outcomes. However, some pregnant patients in Ghana face challenges due to cultural misconceptions, decreased health literacy and limited access to care, among other barriers.

Our team developed the BP@Home project was developed to support antenatal patients in self-monitoring their blood pressure using paper logs to be reviewed during clinic visits. While this intervention has improved patient monitoring, it is limited by self-reported readings and lack of real-time data sharing. To address these gaps, our team is transitioning to a digital health application to provide more accurate and timely blood pressure monitoring and targeted health education.

Objectives: To understand patient and provider perspectives on using technology to monitor blood pressure and deliver health education during pregnancy in the Ghanaian context.

Design: Our team conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with antepartum patients who were receiving care at an urban teaching hospital in Ghana between March and April 2025. We also held focus groups with postpartum patients who had previously participated in the BP@Home project, an intervention where antepartum patients self-monitor their blood pressures during pregnancy. In addition, we interviewed midwives and obstetrician-gynecologists providing care at the hospital.