Digital health and hypertension management: primary care professionals’ perceptions of institutional digital tools
Gabriela PATIÑO MURILLO
Hypertension is one of the most common chronic conditions managed in primary care, yet blood pressure control remains suboptimal despite evidence-based guidelines. Institutional digital tools, including electronic health records and shared clinical platforms, are routinely used and may support continuity, safety and equity in hypertension follow-up. However, little is known about how primary care professionals perceive these tools in everyday clinical practice, and no qualitative studies have explored perceived usefulness, ease of use or barriers related to these systems in this primary care context.Primary objective: To explore primary care professionals’ perceptions of institutional digital tools used in the follow-up of patients with hypertension. Secondary objectives: To identify barriers and facilitators influencing their use, examine how these tools are integrated into daily workflows, and explore expectations for future digital solutions.This ongoing qualitative exploratory study is being conducted in primary care centres in a non-specified region (XXX). Semi-structured interviews are carried out with family physicians, residents, nurses and nursing residents who routinely use institutional digital tools. Purposive sampling ensures variation in experience, professional role and practice setting. Interviews are audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. A deductive–inductive approach is applied: the Technology Acceptance Model guides initial coding while allowing additional themes to emerge. Credibility is ensured through investigator triangulation and documentation of analytic decisions. Data collection and analysis will be completed before the conference.Anticipated themes include: – Perceived usefulness: better organisation of clinical information and support for timely follow-up. – Perceived ease of use: varied experiences related to system usability, navigation and consultation time. – Barriers: technical issues, interoperability limitations, administrative burden and structural constraints in some settings. – Facilitators: familiarity with the system, routine integration and rapid access to relevant data. – Equity considerations: digital literacy gaps and unequal patient access to digital resources. Final thematic categories will be presented at the conference.Preliminary insights suggest that digital tool adoption is shaped by technological, organisational and human-factor elements, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement within primary care.Understanding professionals’ perceptions can inform more human-centred, equitable and effective digital strategies for hypertension management in primary care.
