Remote monitoring improves clinical outcomes for heart patients
30 April 2007 The use of remote monitoring for patients with chronic
heart failure has the potential to significantly improve clinical outcomes
(mortality, morbidity and quality indicators), according to research
recently published in the British Medical Journal.
The use of remote monitoring (telephone support or telemonitoring) to
electronically transfer a patients' physiological data such as blood
pressure, weight and ECG and oxygen details, to their healthcare provider
has increased in prevalence over the past years. According to the research,
which was conducted in Canada and Australia, remote monitoring for patients
with chronic heart failure helped reduce heart failure admissions to
hospitals and lowered all cause mortality by nearly twenty per cent.
“What we found is that the use of remote monitoring programs can improve
outcomes in patients with heart failure and such an approach could help deal
with the increasing number of patients with chronic heart failure that
cannot be accommodated in existing specialty clinics due to access issues
related to geography, lack of resources or infirmity,” said Dr. Finlay
McAlister, University of Alberta researcher.
Because remote monitoring (either through close telephone follow-up with
specially trained nurses or telemonitoring involving the daily transmission
of a patient’s vital signs, weight and symptoms to health care providers)
permits closer follow-up of patients with heart failure, this allows for the
potential for earlier detection and management of changes in a patient’s
health.
“It must be noted that although we have found substantial benefits with
remote monitoring for patients with chronic heart failure, telephone
monitoring is not a treatment, but rather a different way of providing
effective care,” said Dr. McAlister. “Therefore, programs that include
remote monitoring should not be seen as a replacement for specialist care or
multidisciplinary care clinics, but instead should be viewed as a potential
adjunct.”
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