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International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications
Volume 2010 (2010), Article ID 870959, 7 pages
doi:10.1155/2010/870959
Research Article

Use of Remote Monitoring to Improve Outcomes in Patients with Heart Failure: A Pilot Trial

Ambar Kulshreshtha,1 Joseph C. Kvedar,2,3 Abhinav Goyal,4 Elkan F. Halpern,5 and Alice J. Watson2,3

1Graduate School, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Room 467, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
2Center for Connected Health, Partners Health Care, Boston, MA, USA
3Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
4Emory Rollins School of Public Health and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
5Department of Statistics, Institute of Technology Assessment, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Received 25 January 2010; Accepted 17 March 2010

Academic Editor: Elizabeth Krupinski

Copyright © 2010 Ambar Kulshreshtha et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Remote monitoring (RM) of homebound heart failure (HF) patients has previously been shown to reduce hospital admissions. We conducted a pilot trial of ambulatory, non-homebound patients recently hospitalized for HF to determine whether RM could be successfully implemented in the ambulatory setting. Eligible patients from Massachusetts General Hospital ( 𝑛 = 1 5 0 ) were randomized to a control group ( 𝑛 = 6 8 ) or to a group that was offered RM ( 𝑛 = 8 2 ). The participants transmitted vital signs data to a nurse who coordinated care with the physician over the course of the 6-month study. Participants in the RM program had a lower all-cause per person readmission rate ( m e a n = 0 . 6 4 , S D ± 0 . 8 7 ) compared to the usual care group ( m e a n = 0 . 7 3 , S D ± 1 . 5 1 ; 𝑃 - v a l u e = . 7 5 ) although the difference was not statistically significant. HF-related readmission rate was similarly reduced in participants. This pilot study demonstrates that RM can be successfully implemented in non-homebound HF patients and may reduce readmission rates.