Why the study?
Does adding a self-directed telemanagement component reduce cardiac hospitalizations in elderly patients enrolled in an outpatient heart failure disease management program?
Does adding a self-directed telemanagement component reduce cardiac hospitalizations in elderly patients enrolled in an outpatient heart failure disease management program?
Adding a self-directed telemanagement component to an outpatient heart failure clinic significantly reduces the risk of cardiac hospitalizations in elderly patients.
May support telemanagement addition in elderly HF clinics; hypothesis-generating pending RCTs.
The purpose of the present investigation is to examine the impact of a telemanagement component on an outpatient disease management program in patients with heart failure (HF). A total of 282 patients in whom HF was diagnosed and who were enrolled in an outpatient HF program were included in this analysis. One hundred fifty-eight patients additionally participated in a self-directed telemanagement component. The remaining 124 patients received care at an HF clinic but declined telemanagement. During the 7-month tracking period, 19 patients in the HF clinic plus telemanagement group and 53 patients in the HF clinic only group were hospitalized for cardiac reasons (log rank, 36.0; P<.001). The HF clinic only group had a significantly higher risk for hospitalization (hazard ratio, 4.0; 95% confidence interval, 2.4-6.7; P<.001). The results of the present study indicate that telemanagement is an important component of a disease management program in patients with HF.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Gambetta et al. (2007) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: