CONGRESS ABSTRACT

Introduction Digital health technologies (DHT) and telemedicine are emerging as important tools and services in the clinical management of arterial hypertension. To foster their adoption, it is essential to evaluate their current use and perception among physicians. Objective A Survey Research (SR) was conducted to examine the adoption and perception of telemedicine and DHT among physicians practicing in Italy. The study investigated the most commonly used technologies, perceived benefits, and concerns regarding their implementation. Methods Between April and November 2024, an exploratory SR questionnaire was administered to a sample of 280 physicians (56% cardiologists, 41% internists, and 3% from other specialties), yielding 210 responses, of which 178 were valid for analysis. Data were collected on age, gender, specialization, geographic area, and knowledge/use of digital technologies. The main questions explored the advantages and concerns of using telemedicine platforms, the utility of home telemonitoring, and the awareness and recommendation of digital applications for managing hypertension. Results The findings indicate that 61.8% of the clinicians surveyed have already used such services: 30% teleconsultation; 30% telemonitoring; 22% telemedical consultation; 10% telecontrol, and 8% teleassistance. According to the survey, more than 94% of respondents consider home blood pressure telemonitoring useful. Perceived benefits include: Increased therapeutic adherence (31%) Reduction in outpatient visits (23.3%) Improved doctor-patient interaction (21%) Key concerns include: Limited patient access to technologies (31.1%) Legal issues (23.4%) Need for patient training (17.5%) Approximately 40% of physicians are aware of applications for managing hypertension, and among them, 50% have recommended or suggested their use. The most requested functionalities are blood pressure monitoring and therapy reminders. Conclusions While 6.3% of the physicians surveyed expressed concerns about the implementation of digital technologies, 93.7% acknowledged their potential benefits. This underscores the need for further research and development in digital health technologies for hypertension, highlighting the importance of addressing concerns to ensure their integration into clinical practice.