Study: Tech Alone Can’t Improve BP Medication Use

High BP is a major health issue, and about half of the people who have it don’t take their medication regularly, often without their doctors knowing.

In a recent study published in JAMA Cardiology, a team of researchers wanted to see whether using technology and teamwork in doctors’ offices could help fix this problem. They tried a new approach in 10 primary care clinics in New York.

TEAMLET (Leveraging Electronic Health Record Technology and Team Care to Address Medication Adherence) was a pragmatic, two-arm, cluster randomized clinical trial conducted between October 2022 and November 2024 at 10 primary care sites in New York. The study included adults with uncontrolled hypertension and low medication adherence, defined as proportion of days covered less than 80%. Data analysis was performed from November 2024 to January 2025.

A computer system identified patients who weren’t regularly filling their BP prescriptions. Medical assistants asked these patients about what was getting in the way. Doctors and nurse practitioners received alerts about these issues. The patients and their clinicians then had a conversation about how to improve medication use. The researchers compared this new method with regular care provided to more than 1,700 patients.

The new system did identify patients who weren’t taking their medication regularly. However, it didn’t actually improve how often people took their medications. It also didn’t help lower BP more than usual care.

Just finding out who isn’t taking their medication—and even talking to them about it—may not be enough. People might need more personalized or supportive approaches to help them stick to their treatment plans.