Digital adaptation kit for self-monitoring of blood pressure during pregnancy: operational requirements for implementing WHO recommendations in digital systems

Overview

The Digital adaptation kit (DAK) for self-monitoring blood pressure during pregnancy enables countries to better help pregnant women manage hypertensive disorders. These disorders, if not properly treated, can lead to serious health consequences for women and their babies. 

Self-monitoring blood pressure is an important self-care option to help those affected to reduce risks. It can be done at home, either to complement the antenatal care being received via a health facility or in instances where travel is not feasible, alongside community-based care.

The DAK translates the WHO guidance on self-monitoring of blood pressure during pregnancy from the WHO Guideline for self-care interventions for health and well-being into a digital format that can be used by the health sector.  The kit provides Ministry of Health programme managers and their digital health colleagues, as well as software developers, with a common language and understanding of the health information content and standards required to enable self-monitoring of blood pressure. It also provides the necessary digital information to develop personal health tracking systems that enable any needed follow-up care.

The DAK is the first for self-care during pregnancy and the first in a series of person-centred that aims at giving people wider access to self-care interventions through digital systems, in line with WHO SMART Guidelines; and the Implementation of self-care interventions for health and well-being: guidance for health systems.