PAOLINA (PAziente on LINe, Ambulatoriale) as a web application for facilitating the storage and the management of self-measured blood pressure data

Introduction. Self-measurement of blood pressure at home (a.k.a. home blood pressure = HBP) is accepted by the international medical guidelines as an effective procedure for the management of arterial hypertension and is increasingly popular among hypertensive patients. This, however, transfers on the patientspsila side the responsibility of data acquisition, storage and management. PAOLINA represents a Web application that allows the patients at home, to input, store and consult their own home pressure measurements. At the same time, it permits the consultation of the data by authorized health providers. The system favours a more correct use of acquired information and provides guidelines for the proper method of long-term HBP monitoring. The system is a pilot study with the aim of achieving greater and more proper involvement of the patient at the same time making easier and more efficient his interaction with the health facility, by moving whenever possible, the information rather than the patient.