Hans van den Heuvel

of HDP and when to report to health care professionals (4/11). Some interview participants (2/11) argued that these insights are paired with responsibilities to carefully measure blood pressure and to contact the health care professional when symptoms increase. A second aspect related to patient autonomy mentioned by participants was that the use of mHealth contributed to them being in control of their own health and to bring their own perspectives to the fore in consultations with health care professionals (7/11). mHealth allowed them to monitor their own symptoms and, when necessary, adapt their behavior (4/11), for example with regard to activities or medication (P8, Table 4). Theme 4: Health Care Professionals’ Expertise and Responsibilities Quantitative Analysis After starting the digital monitoring, it was clear for the majority of the participants when the digital monitoring team needed to receive their measurements (49/51, 96%) and when to contact the physician regardless of their data (42/51, 82%). They felt that their personal wishes were sufficiently considered by the health care professionals (46/52, 89%). Most of the survey respondents said they could tell that their obstetric care professional really listened to them (50/52, 96%) and that they were given enough opportunity to say what kind of care they needed (47/52, 90%). Qualitative Analysis In addition to the findings of the quantitative research, interviewees showed that they consider the expertise of the health care professionals important in monitoring HDP. All interview participants (11/11) said that health care professionals have invaluable clinical expertise to oversee the implications of the measurements, as well as to decide the need for additional tests, the interval of clinical visits, and medication or hospitalization. The follow-up initiated by health care professionals — either by phone or via clinical visits — contributed to the feeling of being well taken care of and met the interviewees’ expectations regarding responsibilities (5/11). Patients also mentioned that it should remain the health care professionals’ responsibility to undertake action when the measurements deviate from the norm (5/11). They felt relieved that monitoring and resulting action are not solely the patient’s responsibility (11/11). Moreover, patients were appreciative that health care professionals acted if a patient would underestimate the severity of their situation (3/11). Patients argued that important decisions about their condition cannot exclusively be based on the information from the tool, but an expert’s clinical view is required for interpretation and to make personalized treatment decisions (5/11; Table 5). CHAPTER 7 112