Case study from Heart failure policy and practice in Europe

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Remote monitoring for people at high risk of rehospitalisation

17 November, 2020

The Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte in Lisbon has operated a telemonitoring programme since 2017 for people with chronic heart failure who are considered at high risk of hospitalisation. The programme aims to reduce hospitalisations and even mortality, depending on the type of heart failure and the individual situation.1

Each person in the programme has access to medical equipment at home and a mobile app to transmit a range of clinical parameters, including weight, blood pressure and body temperature.2 3 Data are transmitted to an intermediary team of cardiopneumologists and heart-failure -trained nurses automatically every day or three times per week if heart failure is stable. Data can also be transmitted manually, if needed, for example in the event of symptom exacerbation.4 When the team receives an alert, they communicate with the person with heart failure (or their carer) to gather further information, and, if needed, contact the hospital team, which comprises several cardiologists. Cardiologists then contact the person with heart failure directly with care instructions to achieve stabilisation and avoid hospitalisation.2

The telemedicine programme has been shown to significantly reduce 12-month hospitalisation, average number of days lost due to unplanned hospitalisation and mortality.3

References

  1. News Farma. 2020. A telemonitorização como auxiliar ao tratamento da IC. Available from: https://www.newsfarma.pt/noticias/8835-a-telemonitoriza%C3%A7%C3%A3o-como-auxiliar-ao-tratamento-da-ic.html [Accessed 18/09/20]
  2. Just News. 2018. Telemonitorização na insuficiência cardíaca crónica evita rehospitalizações no CHLN. Available from: https://justnews.pt/noticias/telemonitorizao-na-insuficincia-cardaca-crnica-evita-rehospitalizaes-no-chln#.X2P6amhKg2w [Accessed 18/09/20]
  3. Nunes-Ferreira A, Agostinho JR, Rigueira J, et al. 2020. Non-invasive telemonitoring improves outcomes in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: a study in high-risk patients. ESC heart failure n/a(n/a):
  4. The Heart Failure Policy Network. 2020. Spotlight on telemedicine in ongoing heart failure care. London: HFPN
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The Heart Failure Policy Network is an independent, multidisciplinary platform made possible with financial support from AstraZeneca and Roche Diagnostics. The content produced by the Network is not biased toward any specific treatment or therapy. All outputs are guided and endorsed by the Network’s members. All members provide their time for free. The Network is hosted by The Health Policy Partnership .