Accuracy of a smartphone application for blood pressure estimation in Bangladesh, South Africa, and Tanzania

Charles Festo, Valerie Vannevel, Hasmot Ali, Tigest Tamrat, Getrud J. Mollel, Tsakane Hlongwane, Kaniz A. Fahmida, Kelsey Alland, María Barreix, Hedieh Mehrtash, Ronaldo Silva, Soe Soe Thwin, Garrett Mehl, Alain B. Labrique, Honorati Masanja, Ӧzge Tunçalp

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Undetected and unmonitored hypertension carries substantial mortality and morbidity, especially during pregnancy. We assessed the accuracy of OptiBPTM, a smartphone application for estimating blood pressure (BP), across diverse settings. The study was conducted in community settings: Gaibandha, Bangladesh and Ifakara, Tanzania for general populations, and Kalafong Provincial Tertiary Hospital, South Africa for pregnant populations. Based on guidance from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 81,060–2:2018 for non-invasive BP devices and global consensus statement, we compared BP measurements taken by two independent trained nurses on a standard auscultatory cuff to the BP measurements taken by a research version of OptiBPTM called CamBP. For ISO criterion 1, the mean error was 0.5 ± 5.8 mm Hg for the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and 0.1 ± 3.9 mmHg for the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in South Africa; 0.8 ± 7.0 mmHg for the SBP and −0.4 ± 4.0 mmHg for the DBP in Tanzania; 3.3 ± 7.4 mmHg for the SBP and −0.4 ± 4.3 mmHg for the DBP in Bangladesh. For ISO criterion 2, the average standard deviation of the mean error per subject was 4.9 mmHg for the SBP and 3.4 mmHg for the DBP in South Africa; 6.3 mmHg for the SBP and 3.6 mmHg for the DBP in Tanzania; 6.4 mmHg for the SBP and 3.8 mmHg for the DBP in Bangladesh. OptiBPTM demonstrated accuracy against ISO standards in study populations, including pregnant populations, except in Bangladesh for SBP (criterion 2). Further research is needed to improve performance across different populations and integration within health systems.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number69
Journalnpj Digital Medicine
Volume6
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2023

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health Information Management
  • Health Informatics
  • Medicine (miscellaneous)
  • Computer Science Applications

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