Electronic health records-integrated mobile health interventions in primary care to improve hypertension management in Black/African American populations: a systematic review

Black/African American individuals face twice the risk of hypertension compared to non-Hispanic Whites in the United States (US). A synergistic strategy integrating primary care with Electronic Health Records (EHR) and mobile health (mHealth) technologies may help address hypertension disparities. This unique strategy prioritizes early disease identification, improved care access, and self-management. However, limited research exists on how primary care can effectively integrate these components to reduce hypertension in Black/African American individuals. We aimed to (i) identify characteristics of Black/African American populations represented in EHR-driven mHealth interventions for hypertension management in primary care settings and (ii) identify the specific EHR-driven mHealth interventions. We used the PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases to identify studies conducted in the US. The included articles focused on (i) Black/African American individuals, (ii) EHR and mHealth integration; (iii) primary care setting, and (iv) hypertension or blood pressure as the outcome. We screened 749 studies and synthesized 14. Combined, Black/African American patients were female (61%), 52.6 years on average, with diabetes health comorbidity (35%). Included studies utilized health monitoring devices (n = 14), smartphone applications (n = 11), interactive messaging (n = 8), and patient portals (n = 3). These tools facilitated health monitoring (n = 14), social networking (n = 3), and lifestyle counseling (n = 14). EHR-mHealth technologies in primary care show promise to improve hypertension management in Black/African American populations. Current interventions focus on enhancing health education access, continuous health monitoring, patient–physician communication, and social engagement. Further research is needed to optimize integration into clinical workflow for hypertension management.