Heart failure (HF) results in characteristic signs and symptoms, including edema and breathing difficulties. Heart failure is particularly suited to telemonitoring because healthcare providers can assess patients’ signs and symptoms remotely, and deterioration can be quickly detected and addressed. Maric and coworkers reviewed studies conducted in HF telemonitoring in order to describe the nature of the modality, the methods, and the 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. Various benefits were reported in these articles. Most studies demonstrated improvements in outcome measures, including improved quality of life and decreased hospitalizations. However, not all studies reported the same improvements; in several cases, however, the sample sizes were relatively small.

WHAT THE STUDY MAY MEAN TO YOU AS A HEALTH CARE PROVIDER: The authors concluded that telemonitoring appears to be an acceptable method for monitoring of HF patients. Controlled, randomized studies directly comparing different modalities, as well as evaluating their success and feasibility, are required.

WHAT THE STUDY MAY MEAN TO YOU AS A PATIENT: If you experience heart failure, telemonitoring may be highly useful not only in providing feedback on your condition to your health care provider, but in helping you determine the success of any self-management skills you perform. Feedback from your health care provider could be invaluable to you as a patient.

B Maric et al. A systematic review of telemonitoring technologies in heart failure. European Journal of Heart Failure, March 29, 2009.