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European Journal of Heart Failure Advance Access originally published online on March 29, 2009
European Journal of Heart Failure 2009 11(5):506-517; doi:10.1093/eurjhf/hfp036
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Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2009. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

A systematic review of telemonitoring technologies in heart failure

Biljana Maric1, Annemarie Kaan2, Andrew Ignaszewski3 and Scott A. Lear1,3,*

1 School of Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada
2 Faculty of Nursing, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada
3 Division of Cardiology, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada

* Corresponding author: Healthy Heart Program, St Paul’s Hospital, 180-1081 Burrard St, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6Z 1Y6. Tel: +1 604 682 2344/ext. 62778, Fax: +1 604 806 8590, Email: slear{at}providencehealth.bc.ca


  Abstract

Aims: Heart failure (HF) results in characteristic signs and symptoms including oedema and breathing difficulties. Heart failure is particularly suited to telemonitoring, because patients’ signs and symptoms can be assessed remotely by healthcare providers, and deterioration can be quickly detected and addressed. In this paper, we review studies conducted in HF telemonitoring, to describe the nature of the modality, the methods, and the results.

Methods and results: Articles were obtained through a MedLine search, utilizing the term heart failure in conjunction with the terms telehealth, telecare, telemonitoring, web, Internet, remote monitoring, and self-monitoring. Studies utilizing various modalities, including telephone touch pad, specialized hardware, and websites for participants to enter data were found, with various benefits being reported. Most studies demonstrated improvements in outcome measures, including improved quality of life and decreased hospitalizations. However, not all studies reported the same improvements and in several cases the sample sizes were relatively small.

Conclusion: Telemonitoring appears to be an acceptable method for monitoring of HF patients. Controlled, randomized studies directly comparing different modalities and evaluating their success and feasibility when used as part of routine clinical care, are now required.

Key Words: Heart Failure • Telemonitoring • Telehealth • Review

Received May 22, 2008; Revised December 9, 2008; Accepted February 23, 2009


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