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Gonzalez-Garcia MC, Fatehi F, Varnfield M, Ding H, Karunanithi M, Yang I, Cordina R, Feenstra J. Use of eHealth in the management of pulmonary arterial hypertension: review of the literature. BMJ Health Care Inform 2020; 27:bmjhci-2020-100176. [PMID: 32928780 PMCID: PMC7490940 DOI: 10.1136/bmjhci-2020-100176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Revised: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe chronic condition associated with poor quality of life and high risks of mortality and hospitalisation. The utilisation of novel diagnostic technologies has improved survival rates although the effectiveness of Electronic Health (eHealth) interventions in patients with a chronic cardiopulmonary disease remains controversial. As the effectiveness of eHealth can be established by specific evaluation for different chronic health conditions, the aim of this study was to explore and summarise the utilisation of eHealth in PAH. Method We searched PubMed, CINAHL and Embase for all studies reporting clinical trials on eHealth solutions for the management of PAH. No limitations in terms of study design or date of publication were imposed. Results 18 studies (6 peer-reviewed journal papers and 12 conference papers) were identified. Seven studies addressed the accuracy, safety or reliability of eHealth technologies such as intra-arterial haemodynamic monitoring of the pulmonary artery pressure, self-administered 6-Minute walk test App, computerised step-pulse oximeter and ambulatory impedance cardiography. Two studies evaluated eHealth as part of the medical management and showed a reduction in hospitalisation rate. Conclusions The evidence of eHealth supporting the management of people with PAH is limited and only embraced through a few studies of small sample size and short-term duration. Given the proposed clinical benefits in heart failure, we postulate that the evaluation of eHealth for the clinical management of PAH is highly warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel C Gonzalez-Garcia
- Department of Epidemiology and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.,Australian e-Health Research Centre, CSIRO, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Farhad Fatehi
- Centre for Online Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia .,School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Marlien Varnfield
- Australian e-Health Research Centre, CSIRO, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Hang Ding
- Australian e-Health Research Centre, CSIRO, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,RECOVER Injury Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia
| | - Mohan Karunanithi
- Australian e-Health Research Centre, CSIRO, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Ian Yang
- Department of Thoracic Medicine, The Prince Charles Hospital, Chermside, Queensland, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia
| | - Rachael Cordina
- Department of Cardiology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.,Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - John Feenstra
- Queensland Lung Transplant Service, The Prince Charles Hospital, Chermside, Queensland, Australia
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