Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29391369›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2018

Are self-reported telemonitored blood pressure readings affected by end-digit preference: a prospective cohort study in Scotland.

Richard A Parker, Mary Paterson, Paul Padfield, Hilary Pinnock, Janet Hanley, Vicky S Hammersley, Adam Steventon, Brian McKinstry

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
15citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

15 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Telehealth in emergency medicine: A consensus conference to map the intersection of telehealth and emergency medicine.Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine · 2021
    Article
  11. Contribution of telemedicine and information technology to hypertension control.Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension · 2020
    Review
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Richard A ParkerUsher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Mary PatersonUsher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Paul PadfieldUsher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Hilary PinnockUsher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Janet HanleySchool of Health and Social Care, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, UK.
Vicky S HammersleyUsher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Adam SteventonThe Health Foundation, London, UK.
Brian McKinstryUsher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.

Funding

Chief Scientist Office ARPG/07/03Chief Scientist Office CZH/4/1135
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveSimple forms of blood pressure (BP) telemonitoring require patients to text readings to central servers creating an opportunity for both entry error and manipulation. We wished to determine if there was an apparent preference for particular end digits and entries which were just below target BPs which might suggest evidence of data manipulation.

designProspective cohort study

setting37 socioeconomically diverse primary care practices from South East Scotland.

participantsPatients were recruited with hypertension to a telemonitoring service in which patients submitted home BP readings by manually transcribing the measurements into text messages for transmission ('patient-texted system'). These readings were compared with those from primary care patients with uncontrolled hypertension using a system in which readings were automatically transmitted, eliminating the possibility of manipulation of values ('automatic-transmission system').

methodsA generalised estimating equations method was used to compare BP readings between the patient-texted and automatic-transmission systems, while taking into account clustering of readings within patients.

resultsA total of 44 150 BP readings were analysed on 1068 patients using the patient-texted system compared with 20 705 readings on 199 patients using the automatic-transmission system. Compared with the automatic-transmission data, the patient-texted data showed a significantly higher proportion of occurrences of both systolic and diastolic BP having a zero end digit (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.7 to 2.6) although incidence was <2% of readings. Similarly, there was a preference for systolic 134 and diastolic 84 (the threshold for alerts was 135/85) (134 systolic BP OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.3 to 1.8; 84 diastolic BP OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.3 to 1.9).

conclusionEnd-digit preference for zero numbers and specific-value preference for readings just below the alert threshold exist among patients in self-reporting their BP using telemonitoring. However, the proportion of readings affected is small and unlikely to be clinically important. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN72614272; Post-results.

Indexed as

Blood PressureMathematical ConceptsSelf CareTelemedicineText MessagingAdultAgedAged, 80 and overBlood Pressure Monitoring, AmbulatoryFemaleHumansHypertensionMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesScotlandblood pressure controlend digit preferencehypertensiontelemedicineterminal digit preference

Identifiers

PMID29391369
PMCPMC5878245

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.