Development of a Telemedicine-Based Care Model for Patients with Hypertension: A Case Study in Bueng Bon Subdistrict, Yang Chum Noi District, Sisaket Province

Abstract

This mixed-methods study aimed to examine the current hypertension care situation, develop a community-participatory telemedicine care model, and evaluate its implementation in Bueng Bon Subdistrict, Sisaket Province, Thailand. Three phases comprised situational analysis, model development, and implementation evaluation. The situational analysis included 263 patients, while 245 participants contributed to the post-implementation assessment. Questionnaires, assessment forms, qualitative interviews, focus groups, and health records were used. Analyses included descriptive statistics, correlation, multiple regression, paired t-tests, and content analysis. Women accounted for 58.17% of the situational sample, with a mean age of 67.25 years. The HT-TeleCARE Model integrated health education, remote monitoring and consultation, community involvement, and nursing support. Technology use demonstrated the strongest bivariate association with baseline care outcomes (r = 0.50, p < .001); a multiple regression model explained 36% of outcome variance. The six-domain overall score increased from 3.04 to 4.56 after implementation (p < .001 as reported in the source). Post-implementation mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 128.23 ± 8.08 and 79.11 ± 5.00 mmHg, respectively. Mean satisfaction was 4.83 ± 0.13. The model may support accessible, continuous primary care. However, without a control group and comparable pre-intervention blood pressure outcomes, causal conclusions about its clinical effectiveness remain limited.

Keywords: hypertension, telemedicine, HT-TeleCARE Model, community participation, primary care