The value of telemonitoring and ICT-guided disease management in heart failure: Results from the IN TOUCH study

• Aim: It is still unclear whether telemonitoring reduces hospitalization and mortality in heart failure (HF) patients and whether adding an Information and Computing Technology-guided-disease-management-system (ICT-guided-DMS) improves clinical and patient reported outcomes or reduces healthcare costs. Methods: A multicenter randomized controlled trial was performed testing the effects of INnovative ICT-guided-DMS combined with Telemonitoring in OUtpatient clinics for Chronic HF patients (IN TOUCH) with in total 179 patients (mean age 69 years; 72% male; 77% in New York Heart Association Classification (NYHA) III-IV; mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 28%). Patients were randomized to ICT-guided-DMS or to ICT-guided-DMS + telemonitoring with a follow-up of nine months. The composite endpoint included mortality, HF-readmission and change in health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). Results: In total 177 patients were eligible for analyses. The mean score of the primary composite endpoint was -0.63 in ICT-guided-DMS vs. -0.73 in ICT-guided-DMS + telemonitoring (mean difference 0.1,95% CI: -0.67 +0.82, p = 0.39). All-cause mortality in ICT-guided-DMS was 12% versus 15% in ICT-guided-DMS + telemonitoring (p = 0.27); HF-readmission 28% vs. 27% p = 0.87; all-cause readmission was 49% vs. 51% (p = 0.78). HR-QoL improved in most patients and was equal in both groups. Incremental costs were 1360 in favor of ICT-guided-DMS. ICT-guided-DMS + telemonitoring had significantly fewer HF-outpatient-clinic visits (p < 0.01). Conclusion: ICT-guided-DMS + telemonitoring for the management of HF patients did not affect the primary and secondary endpoints. However, we did find a reduction in visits to the HF-outpatient clinic in this group suggesting that telemonitoring might be safe to use in reorganizing HF-care with relatively low costs. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://cleativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Sociologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Sociology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Heart failure; Disease management; Telemonitoring; ICT-guided disease management; Computer decision support

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