Discharged heart failure patients report better quality of life with remote monitoring

Remote patient monitoring does not reduce readmissions or mortality for older adults discharged home after inpatient treatment for heart failure, but recipients report better quality of life, according to results from a randomized clinical trial published online this week by JAMA Internal Medicine. About half of the study’s more than 1,400 participants received telephone coaching from a nurse to reinforce pre-discharge education and were asked to transmit their weight, blood pressure, heart rate and symptoms daily via telemonitoring. Readings that exceeded predetermined thresholds triggered a call from the nurse to investigate potential causes. The other study participants received robust education before discharge and often a follow-up call. About half of the patients in both groups were readmitted to the hospital after 180 days, but the telemonitoring group reported fewer effects from heart failure on their quality of life. The authors recommend further study to confirm the findings.