The reductions in blood pressure were comparable with those achieved through the intervention of physicians
The uses of artificial intelligence in healthcare are still being explored and new vistas are opening up every day. One such use is in the control of chronic conditions.
Researchers from the University of California have reported a fully digital, autonomous, and artificial intelligence (AI)–based lifestyle coaching program can achieve meaningful BP improvements and high engagement for patients with hypertension while substantially reducing clinician workloads. The programme delivered weekly lifestyle recommendations that had been personalised based on the habits of an individual participant.The guidance supported the participant’s daily efforts to improve BP through behavioral changes that targeted physical activity, sleep hygiene, stress management, and dietary choices.
“Participants experienced a statistically significant decrease of 8.1 mm Hg and 5.1 mm Hg in SBP and DBP, respectively, after 24 weeks. Furthermore, this improvement was more pronounced in participants who started the program with stage-2 hypertension, achieving a 14.2 mm Hg and 8.1 mm Hg reduction in SBP and DBP, respectively. Reducing BP holds clinical significance not only for individuals with stage 2 hypertension but also for those with elevated BP or stage 1 hypertension,” the researchers reported. SBP stands for systolic blood pressure which is the pressure experienced by the heart in a state of contraction and DBP stands for diastolic blood pressure which is the pressure experienced by the heart in a state of relaxation.
The observed reductions were at par with hypertension management though the intervention of physicians. “To address the challenges of poor patient engagement due to generic, nonpersonalized lifestyle guidance and limited scalability of care due to human coaching models, we propose an AI-driven, autonomous, precise lifestyle coaching program for patients with hypertension. Patients who enrolled in the program experienced a significant improvement in BP. The program maintained a high engagement rate with minimal intervention from the care team. As the burden of hypertension increases globally, the necessity to develop new strategies to achieve hypertension control at scale is greater than ever. An AI-based, autonomous approach to hypertension-related lifestyle coaching can increase scalability and accessibility to effective BP management, ultimately improving the cardiovascular health of our community,” the researchers wrote.
