Effect of telehealth on use of secondary care and mortality: findings from the Whole System Demonstrator cluster randomised trial

Telehealth, medical decisions and new health inequality in China

BACKGROUND

The widespread of telehealth has not only improved medical service accessibility and convenience, and has also played an active role in the COVID-19 Epidemic. This suggests that telehealth is becoming increasingly important in both normality and emergency. It is therefore essential to evaluate the use of the technology and its impact on the healthcare system.

OBJECTIVE

This paper studied the use of telehealth in China, the socio-demographic characteristics of users, its impact on patients' choice of first-visit, and potential health inequalities.

METHODS

We obtained 14,944 valid questionnaires from a multistage stratified sample of 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta, China, and multinomial logit was mainly used.

RESULTS

The utilization rate of telehealth in the study area was 10.43%. Residents that were younger, more educated, had higher household incomes, were more health literate, used more adequate medical insurance, ordered food delivery more often, and had chronic diseases were more likely to use telehealth. Residents who used telehealth had significantly higher odds of choosing high-level hospital instead of primary care provider as their first visit (B = 0.168, P < 0.05;B = 0.192, P < 0.05). And this substitution effect is more pronounced among the younger, more educated, and higher household income residents.

CONCLUSIONS

Telehealth is still underutilized in China's actual healthcare services, and use of telehealth is more likely to be seen among younger, higher-income, and well-educated groups. The use of telehealth may lead residents to skip primary health care more easily and occupy secondary and tertiary health care inappropriately. It maybe impacts China's hierarchical medical system, and further leading to new potential health inequalities due to the "digital divide".

Cost Impact of Telehealth: A National Analysis of COVID-19 Data

Background: The exponential growth in the use of telehealth during the pandemic underscored the need to quantify how telehealth impacts overall health care costs. While the pandemic inhibited access to in-person care for all Americans, access to care will remain challenging for some populations. Objective: We sought to assess the cost-benefit of telehealth by reviewing a data set of 1.4 million telehealth encounters across the United States performed between February and September 2020. Methods: A retrospective analysis used data from six large health systems and one state Medicaid agency. The economic model considered both direct and indirect costs. Results: Building upon a report published in 2021 by the Centers for Telehealth and eHealth Law, this article presents an analysis of the six states with the highest telehealth encounters within the data set. The study revealed significant cost savings. Telehealth was associated with a reduction in costs ranging from $445,000 to $33 million for Medicare and $155,000-$181 million for Medicaid, except for one metropolitan area. Cost savings were based on the most frequent diagnoses: behavioral health, cancer, heart disease, pulmonary conditions, and endocrine disorders. Limitations: The use of encounter data prohibited the analysis of a patient's longitudinal use of telehealth. Each encounter was treated as a unique observation. While the data set represented telehealth use across the nation, some states were over-represented while others were under-represented, based on available data. Finally, for the six health systems, data was restricted to the regions covered by the health system. As such, in some states, most encounters take place in metropolitan areas. Conclusion: Telehealth can generate significant cost savings, particularly within the Medicaid program, by increasing access to health care452244 services, especially for conditions directly impacted by provider shortages within geographic proximity to the patient.

Association of a remote monitoring programme with all-cause mortality and hospitalizations in patients with heart failure: National-scale, real-world evidence from a 3-year propensity score analysis of the TELESAT-HF study

AIMS

To examine the association of a remote monitoring programme (RMP) with all-cause mortality and hospital admissions for heart failure (HF) within the French healthcare system.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A national-scale, real-world, propensity-weighted cohort study was conducted using the SNDS French database from August 2018 to December 2022 (NCT06312501). Patients receiving standard of care (SoC) were compared with those receiving RMP (Satelia® Cardio, NP Medical). The Satelia® Cardio algorithm adjusted the monitoring frequency based on symptom and weight changes, and provided tailored web-based patient education. The RMP included a digital interface for proficient patients and phone monitoring by nurses for those uncomfortable with digital technology. Data were sourced from over 300 healthcare centres across France. A propensity-weighted Cox regression model was used, supplemented by sensitivity analyses across subgroups. In total, 5357 RMP patients and 13 525 SoC patients were included after weighting. Weighted/adjusted analyses showed lower all-cause mortality for RMP patients (hazard ratio [HR] 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59-0.70; p < 0.0001), persisting across hospitalization and/or long-term illness status subgroups (HR 0.52 to 0.75). RMP was neutrally associated with HF hospitalization rates (rate ratio [RR] 0.95; 95% CI 0.89-1.02) but linked to less time in hospital (-2.1%, p < 0.0001) and fewer emergency visits (RR 0.83; 95% CI 0.75-0.92; p = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

In France, RMP with customized monitoring frequencies and educational strategies was associated with lower all-cause mortality, emergency visits, and time spent in hospital in patients with HF which may enhance nationwide HF management.

Device based monitoring in digital care and its impact on hospital service use

This systematic review examines four themes of device-based remote monitoring (DRM): technology, patient monitoring and support, integration of DRM into clinical care, and patient engagement, and their impact on hospital service use. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) until 2024 comparing hospital service use in DRM with usual care. Hospital service use decreased in DRM in 72% of the 116 included RCTs. Non-implantable devices were most commonly used to measure data, but showed a lower decrease in hospital service use than implanted or mobile devices (69% vs 89% and 76%). Providing 24/7 support for patients led to a decrease (81% of the studies). DRM replacing usual care, involving designated healthcare providers, and patient-performed data transmission led to a greater decrease in hospital service use. DRM has the potential to further reduce hospital service use with additional factors such as sufficient support, automated processes, and optimized care redesign.

Associations Between Sociodemographic Factors and Interest in Remote Patient Monitoring Among Arkansas Residents

Introduction: Remote patient monitoring (RPM) has the power to transform health care delivery, as it allows for the digital transmission of individual health data to health care professionals, providing the most up-to-date information to be able to make medical decisions. Although RPM use has grown exponentially during the pandemic, there is limited information on the association between sociodemographic characteristics and interest in RPM use in underserved areas of the United States after the onset of the pandemic. Methods: We conducted a survey via random digit dialing of 2201 adults living in Arkansas in March of 2022. Weighted estimates were generated using rank ratio estimation to approximate the 2019 American Community Survey 1-year Arkansas estimates for race/ethnicity, age, and gender. We fit a partial proportional odds model using weighted generalized ordered logistic regression to examine adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for interest in RPM. Predictors included sociodemographic characteristics, nativity, health care access, and self-rated health. Results: Results indicate respondents who were age 60 or older had lower odds of interest in RPM than those between the ages 18-39 (OR = 0.61). Hispanic adults had lower odds of reporting interest in RPM (OR = 0.68), and non-Hispanic adults of other races/ethnicities had lower odds of reporting any interest at all (OR = 0.67) or interest greater than a little (OR = 0.67) in RPM compared with non-Hispanic White respondents. However, respondents who had previously used telehealth had greater odds of reporting higher levels of interest in RPM than those who had not previously used it (OR = 1.93). Discussion: Interest in RPM use is associated with several sociodemographic factors. Future work is needed to understand and address RPM reluctance and to increase interest in RPM among marginalized and underserved populations who may need these services.

Telehealth-aided outpatient management of acute heart failure in a specialist virtual ward compared with standard care

AIMS

The aim of this propensity score matched cohort study was to assess the outcomes of telehealth-guided outpatient management of acute heart failure (HF) in our virtual ward (HFVW) compared with hospitalized acute HF patients.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This cohort study (May 2022-October 2023) assessed outcomes of telehealth-guided outpatient acute HF management using bolus intravenous furosemide in a HF-specialist VW. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed using logistic regression to adjust for potential differences in baseline patient characteristics between HFVW and standard care [Get With The Guidelines-HF score, clinical frailty score (CFS), Charlson co-morbidity index (CCI), NT-proBNP, and ejection fraction]. Clinical outcomes (re-hospitalizations and mortality) were compared at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months versus standard care-SC (acute HF patients managed without telehealth in 2021). Five hundred fifty-four HFVW ADHF patients (age 73.1 ± 10.9 years; 46% female) were compared with 404 ADHF patients (74.2 ± 11.8; P = 0.15 and 49% female) in the standard care-SC cohort. After propensity score matching for baseline patient characteristics, re-hospitalizations were significantly lower in the HFVW compared with SC (1 month-HFVW 8.6% vs. SC-21.5%, P < 0.001; 3 months-21% vs. 30%, P = 0.003; 6 months-28% vs 41%, P < 0.001 and 12 months-47% vs. 57%, P = 0.005) and mortality was also lower at 1 month (5% vs. 13.7%; P < 0.001), 3 months (9.5% vs. 15%; P = 0.001), 6 months (15% vs. 21%; P = 0.03), and 12 months (20% vs. 26%; P = 0.04). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with standard care, HFVW management was associated with lower odds of readmission (1-month odds ratio (OR) = 0.3 [95% Confidence Interval CI 0.2-0.5], P < 0.0001; 3 month OR = 0.15 [0.1-0.3], P < 0.0001; 6-month OR = 0.35 [0.2-0.6], P = 0.0002; 12-month OR = 0.25 [0.15-0.4], P ≤ 0.001 and mortality (1-month OR = 0.26 [0.14-0.48], P < 0.0001; 3-month OR = 0.11 [0.04-0.27], P < 0.0001; 6-month OR = 0.35, [0.2; 0.61], P = 0.0002; 12-month OR = 0.6 [0.48; 0.73], P = 0.03. Higher GWTG-HF score independently predicted increased odds of re-hospitalization (1-month OR = 1.2 [1.1-1.3], P < 0.001; 3-month OR = 1.5 [1.37; 1.64], P < 0.0001; 6-month OR = 1.3 [1.2-1.4], P < 0.0001; 12-month OR = 1.1 [1.05-1.2], P = 0.03) as well as mortality (1-month OR = 1.21 [1.1-1.3], P < 0.0001; 3-month OR = 1.3 [1.2-1.4], P < 0.0001; 6-month OR = 1.2 [1.1-1.3], P < 0.0001; 12-month OR = 1.3 [1.1-1.7], P = 0.02). Similarly higher CFS also independently predicted increased odds of re-hospitalizations (1-month OR = 1.9 [1.5-2.4], P < 0.0001; 3-month OR = 1.8 [1.3-2.4], P = 0.0003; 6-month OR = 1.4 [1.1-1.8], P = 0.015; 12-month OR 1.9 [1.2-3], P = 0.01]) and mortality (1-month OR = 2.1 [1.6-2.8], P < 0.0001; 3-month OR = 1.8 [1.2-2.6], P = 0.006; 6-month OR = 2.34 [1.51-5.6], P = 0.0001; 12-month OR = 2.6 [1.6-7], P = 0.02). Increased daily step count while on HFVW independently predicted reduced odds of re-hospitalizations (1-month OR = 0.85[0.7-0.9], P = 0.005), 3-month OR = 0.95 [0.93-0.98], P = 0.003 and 1-month mortality (OR = 0.85 [0.7-0.95], P = 0.01), whereas CCI predicted adverse 12-month outcomes (OR = 1.2 [1.1-1.4], P = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

Telehealth-guided specialist HFVW management for ADHF may offer a safe and efficacious alternative to hospitalization in suitable patients. Daily step count in HFVW can help predict risk of short-term adverse clinical outcomes.

Impact of Telehealth on Health Disparities Associated With Travel Time to Hospital for Patients With Recurrent Admissions: 4-Year Panel Data Analysis

BACKGROUND

Geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic differences in health outcomes persist despite the global focus on these issues by health organizations. Barriers to accessing care contribute significantly to these health disparities. Among these barriers, those related to travel time-the time required for patients to travel from their residences to health facilities-remain understudied compared with others.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the impact of telehealth in addressing health disparities associated with travel time to hospitals for patients with recurrent hospital admissions. It specifically examined the role of telehealth in reducing in-hospital length of stay (LOS) for patients living farther from the hospital.

METHODS

We sourced the data from 4 datasets, and our final effective sample consisted of 1,600,699 admissions from 536,182 patients from 63 hospitals in New York and Florida in the United States from 2012 to 2015. We applied fixed-effect models to examine the direct effects and the interaction between telehealth and patients' travel time to hospitals on LOS. We further conducted a series of robustness checks to validate our main models and performed post hoc analyses to explore the different effects of telehealth across various patient groups.

RESULTS

Our summary statistics show that, on average, 22.08% (353,396/1,600,699) of patients were admitted to a hospital with telehealth adopted, with an average LOS of 5.57 (SD 5.06) days and an average travel time of about 16.89 (SD 13.32) minutes. We found that telehealth adoption is associated with a reduced LOS (P<.001) and this effect is especially pronounced as the patients' drive time to the hospital increases. Specifically, the coefficient for drive time is -0.0079 (P<.001), indicating that for every additional minute of driving time, there is a decrease of 0.0079 days (approximately 11 minutes) in the expected LOS. We also found that telehealth adoption has a larger impact on patients frequently needing health services, patients living in high internet coverage areas, and patients who have high virtualization potential diseases.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that telehealth adoption can mitigate certain health disparities for patients living farther from hospitals. This study provides key insights for health care practitioners and policy makers on telehealth's role in addressing distance-related disparities and planning health care resources. It also has practical implications for hospitals in resource-limited countries that are in the early stages of implementing telehealth.

The effects of multifactorial pharmacist-led intervention protocol on medication optimisation and adherence among patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomised control trial

Background

Patient-related factors and limited medication adherence in patients with chronic diseases, are associated with poor clinical outcomes, long-term complications, and increased overall disease costs. Many methods have been tested with mixed results, and innovative approaches are needed to encourage patients to adhere to their prescribed drug regimens.

Methods

This randomised controlled trial examined a new multifactorial pharmacist-led intervention protocol (MPIP), including a medication therapy management (MTM) program with face-to-face counselling, patient-specific medication booklets, and a mobile application, from July 2021 to September 2022 in the Oud Al Touba diagnostic and screening ambulatory centre in 192 patients with type 2 diabetes in the United Arab Emirates. Medication adherence was assessed using the fixed medication possession ratio of medication refills and the medication adherence questionnaire.

Results

At 12 months follow-up, participants in the MPIP showed significant improvement in overall medication adherence with total (composite) medication possession ratio (MPRt) of mean (±SD) 0.95 (±0.09) compared to 0.92 (± 0.09) in the control group with mean difference of 0.03 (95%, CI 0.01-0.06), P =0.02. In addition, improvement trend was evident in the MPIP group for all medication regimens with P value <0.01. Comparable results were noticeable in adherence questionnaire scores at the end of the study, with 66 participants in the intervention group scored zero on the questionnaire, suggesting high adherence to medication compared to the control group (48 participants only). The MTM program performed 41 clinical interventions on drug-related problems, compared to six interventions in the control group, and the use of mobile application and medication booklet have increased to 45.7% compared to 21.4% before study exit.

Conclusions

The pharmacy intervention protocol effectively improved medication adherence and optimised medication regimens in diabetic patients with chronic medication regimens in an ambulatory healthcare centre.

Effect of Online Clinic on Follow-Up Compliance and Survival Outcomes in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: Real-World Cohort Study from Endemic Area

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) requires regular follow-up to detect recurrence as early as possible. However, many patients are unable to regularly follow up due to the inconvenience of the conventional approach. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the impact of the online clinic on follow-up compliance and prognosis in NPC patients. Patients who were first diagnosed with NPC between April 2019 and November 2019 were enrolled. Good follow-up compliance was defined as having at least one follow-up visit every 6 months within 2 years after treatment completion. Sensitivity analyses were performed using a propensity score matching model. A total of 539 (42%) patients used online follow-up while 731 (58%) used traditional follow-up. The median age of patients in the online cohort was lower than that in the traditional cohort (44 vs. 47, p < 0.001). Compared with the traditional cohort, the online cohort had significantly better follow-up compliance (57.3% vs. 17.1%, p < 0.001) and a higher 2-year PFS rate (98.1% vs. 94.4%, p = 0.003). Survival analysis showed that online follow-up was an independent factor for better survival prognosis (HR 0.39, 95%CI 0.20-0.74, p = 0.004). Sensitivity analysis further confirmed these results. Our study found that the online clinic increased follow-up compliance and improved prognosis in NPC patients.

Exploration of understanding of impactibility analysis and application through workshops to inform model design for population health management policy: a qualitative assessment

OBJECTIVES

Assess understanding of impactibility modelling definitions, benefits, challenges and approaches.

DESIGN

Qualitative assessment.

SETTING

Two workshops were developed. Workshop 1 was to consider impactibility definitions and terminology through moderated open discussion, what the potential pros and cons might be, and what factors would be best to assess. In workshop 2, participants appraised five approaches to impactibility modelling identified in the literature.

PARTICIPANTS

National Health Service (NHS) analysts, policy-makers, academics and members of non-governmental think tank organisations identified through existing networks and via a general announcement on social media. Interested participants could enrol after signing informed consent.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Descriptive assessment of responses to gain understanding of the concept of impactibility (defining impactibility analysis), the benefits and challenges of using this type of modelling and most relevant approach to building an impactibility model for the NHS.

RESULTS

37 people attended 1 or 2 workshops in small groups (maximum 10 participants): 21 attended both workshops, 6 only workshop 1 and 10 only workshop 2. Discussions in workshop 1 illustrated that impactibility modelling is not clearly understood, with it generally being viewed as a cross-sectional way to identify patients rather than considering patients by iterative follow-up. Recurrent factors arising from workshop 2 were the shortage of benchmarks; incomplete access to/recording of primary care data and social factors (which were seen as important to understanding amenability to treatment); the need for outcome/action suggestions as well as providing the data and the risk of increasing healthcare inequality.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding of impactibility modelling was poor among our workshop attendees, but it is an emerging concept for which few studies have been published. Implementation would require formal planning and training and should be performed by groups with expertise in the procurement and handling of the most relevant health-related real-world data.

Heart Failure Management through Telehealth: Expanding Care and Connecting Hearts

Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of morbidity worldwide, imposing a significant burden on deaths, hospitalizations, and health costs. Anticipating patients' deterioration is a cornerstone of HF treatment: preventing congestion and end organ damage while titrating HF therapies is the aim of the majority of clinical trials. Anyway, real-life medicine struggles with resource optimization, often reducing the chances of providing a patient-tailored follow-up. Telehealth holds the potential to drive substantial qualitative improvement in clinical practice through the development of patient-centered care, facilitating resource optimization, leading to decreased outpatient visits, hospitalizations, and lengths of hospital stays. Different technologies are rising to offer the best possible care to many subsets of patients, facing any stage of HF, and challenging extreme scenarios such as heart transplantation and ventricular assist devices. This article aims to thoroughly examine the potential advantages and obstacles presented by both existing and emerging telehealth technologies, including artificial intelligence.

Adoption and Use of Telemedicine and Digital Health Services Among Older Adults in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Repeated Cross-Sectional Analysis

BACKGROUND

As the population ages and the prevalence of long-term diseases rises, the use of telecare is becoming increasingly frequent to aid older people.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to explore the use and adoption of 3 types of telehealth services among the older population in Israel before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

We explored the use characteristics of older adults (aged ≥65 years) belonging to Clalit Health Services in several aspects in the use of 3 types of telehealth services: the use of digital services for administrative tasks; the use of synchronous working-hours telehealth visits with the patient's personal physician during clinic business hours; and the use of after-hours consultations during evenings, nights, and weekends when the clinics are closed. The data were collected and analyzed throughout 3 distinct periods in Israel: before the COVID-19 pandemic, during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and following the COVID-19 peak.

RESULTS

Data of 618,850 patients who met the inclusion criteria were extracted. Telehealth services used for administrative purposes were the most popular. The most intriguing finding was that the older population significantly increased their use of all types of telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in most types, this use decreased after the COVID-19 peak, but to a level that was higher than the baseline level before the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 23.1% (142,936/618,850) of the study population used working-hours telehealth visits, and 2.2% (13,837/618,850) used after-hours consultations at least once. The percentage of use for these services increased during the COVID-19 pandemic to 59.2% (366,566/618,850) and 5% (30,777/618,850) and then decreased during the third period to 39.5% (244,572/618,850) and 2.4% (14,584/618,850), respectively (P<.001). Multiple patient variables have been found to be associated with the use of the different telehealth services in each period.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the limitations and obstacles, the older population uses telehealth services and can increase their use when they are needed. These people can learn how to use digital health services effectively, and they should be given the opportunity to do so by creating suitable and straightforward telehealth solutions tailored to this population and enhancing their usability.

Cost-effectiveness of telehealth-delivered diet and exercise interventions: A systematic review

OBJECTIVES

Telehealth is a promising tool for delivering lifestyle interventions for the management of health conditions. However, limited evidence exists regarding the cost-effectiveness of these interventions. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the current literature reporting on the cost-effectiveness of telehealth-delivered diet and/or exercise interventions.

METHODS

Four electronic databases (PubMed, CENTRAL, CINAHL and Embase) were searched for published literature from database inception to November 2020. This review adhered to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines and the ISPOR Criteria for Cost-Effectiveness Review Outcomes Checklist. The quality of reporting was assessed using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards checklist. The extracted data were grouped into subcategories according to telehealth modality, organised into tables and reported narratively.

RESULTS

Twenty-four studies of controlled trials (11 combined diet and exercise, 9 exercise-only and 4 diet-only telehealth-delivered interventions) were included for data extraction and quality assessment. Interventions were reported as cost-effective in 12 studies (50%), five studies (21%) reported inconclusive results, and seven studies (29%) reported that the interventions were not cost-effective. Telephone interventions were applied in eight studies (33%), seven studies (29%) used internet interventions, six studies (25%) used a combination of internet and telephone interventions, and three studies (13%) evaluated mHealth interventions. Quality of study reporting varied with between 54% and 92% of Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards items reported.

CONCLUSIONS

This review suggests that telehealth-delivered lifestyle interventions can be cost-effective compared to traditional care. There is a need for further investigations that employ rigorous methodology and economic reporting, including appropriate decision analytical models and longer timeframes.

Health behavior outcomes in stroke survivors prescribed wearables for atrial fibrillation detection stratified by age

BACKGROUND

Smartwatches have become readily accessible tools for detecting atrial fibrillation (AF). There remains limited data on how they affect psychosocial outcomes and engagement in older adults. We examine the health behavior outcomes of stroke survivors prescribed smartwatches for AF detection stratified by age.

METHODS

We analyzed data from the Pulsewatch study, a randomized controlled trial that enrolled patients (≥ 50 years) with a history of stroke or transient ischemic attack and CHA2DS2-VASc ≥ 2. Intervention participants were equipped with a cardiac patch monitor and a smartwatch-app dyad, while control participants wore the cardiac patch monitor for up to 44 days. We evaluated health behavior parameters using standardized tools, including the Consumer Health Activation Index, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder questionnaire, the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey, and wear time of participants categorized into three age groups: Group 1 (ages 50-60), Group 2 (ages 61-69), and Group 3 (ages 70-87). We performed statistical analysis using a mixed-effects repeated measures linear regression model to examine differences amongst age groups.

RESULTS

Comparative analysis between Groups 1, 2 and 3 revealed no significant differences in anxiety, patient activation, perception of physical health and wear time. The use of smartwatch technology was associated with a decrease in perception of mental health for Group 2 compared to Group 1 (β = -3.29, P = 0.046).

CONCLUSION

Stroke survivors demonstrated a willingness to use smartwatches for AF monitoring. Importantly, among these study participants, the majority did not experience negative health behavior outcomes or decreased engagement as age increased.

Mapping trends and hotspots regarding the use of telenursing for elderly individuals with chronic diseases: A bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

Telenursing is receiving extensive attention from scholars and medical staff. However, there are few studies on the knowledge structure of telenursing for elderly individuals with chronic diseases. This study aims to demonstrate current research status and development trend of telenursing for elderly individuals with chronic diseases through a visual analysis of CiteSpace, so as to provide a more comprehensive perspective for future researches.

METHODS

Literature about telenursing for elderly patients with chronic diseases from 2002 to 2022 was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection using CiteSpace 6.1.R3.

RESULTS

A total of 375 records were obtained. Annual publication and citation frequency gradually increased over the investigated period, reaching a peak in 2022. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare was the most prolific and the most cited journal. The United States was the most productive country, the University of Melbourne was the most productive institution, and the author CHEN C ranked the highest in the number of publications. The most popular keywords were "care," "telemedicine," "management," "older adult," "chronic disease," "health," and "heart failure," which had a high frequency and centrality. The keywords "telehealth," "randomized controlled trail," "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease," "implementation" and "time" showed the strongest citation burst. The keywords were clustered to form 10 labels. The article published in 2010 by Chaudhry SI was cited the most. The top 3 cited journals were all special journal of telemedicine.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed current research status and development trend of telenursing for elderly individuals with chronic diseases. The bibliometric analysis of telenursing expands the knowledge field of telemedicine and provides new insights into the management of elderly patients with chronic diseases.

Skin temperature influence on transcutaneous carbon dioxide (CO2) conductivity and skin blood flow in healthy human subjects at the arm and wrist

Objective: present transcutaneous carbon dioxide (CO2)-tcpCO2-monitors suffer from limitations which hamper their widespread use, and call for a new tcpCO2 measurement technique. However, the progress in this area is hindered by the lack of knowledge in transcutaneous CO2 diffusion. To address this knowledge gap, this study focuses on investigating the influence of skin temperature on two key skin properties: CO2 permeability and skin blood flow. Methods: a monocentric prospective exploratory study including 40 healthy adults was undertaken. Each subject experienced a 90 min visit split into five 18 min sessions at different skin temperatures-Non-Heated (NH), 35, 38, 41, and 44°C. At each temperature, custom sensors measured transcutaneous CO2 conductivity and exhalation rate at the arm and wrist, while Laser Doppler Flowmetry (LDF) assessed skin blood flow at the arm. Results: the three studied metrics sharply increased with rising skin temperature. Mean values increased from the NH situation up to 44°C from 4.03 up to 8.88 and from 2.94 up to 8.11 m·s-1 for skin conductivity, and from 80.4 up to 177.5 and from 58.7 up to 162.3 cm3·m-2·h-1 for exhalation rate at the arm and wrist, respectively. Likewise, skin blood flow increased elevenfold for the same temperature increase. Of note, all metrics already augmented significantly in the 35-38°C skin temperature range, which may be reached without active heating-i.e. only using a warm clothing. Conclusion: these results are extremely encouraging for the development of next-generation tcpCO2 sensors. Indeed, the moderate increase (× 2) in skin conductivity from NH to 44°C tends to indicate that heating the skin is not critical from a response time point of view, i.e. little to no skin heating would only result in a doubled sensor response time in the worst case, compared to a maximal heating at 44°C. Crucially, a skin temperature within the 35-38°C range already sharply increases the skin blood flow, suggesting that tcpCO2 correlates well with the arterial paCO2 even at such low skin temperatures. These two conclusions further strengthen the viability of non-heated tcpCO2 sensors, thereby paving the way for the development of wearable transcutaneous capnometers.

An IoT-based cognitive impairment detection device: A newly proposed method in older adults care-choice reaction time-device development and data-driven validation

Background

Research shows that older adults' performance on choice reaction time (CRT) tests can predict cognitive decline. A simple CRT tool could help detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and preclinical dementia, allowing for further stratification of cognitive disorders on-site or via telemedicine.

Objective

The primary objective was to develop a CRT testing device and protocol to differentiate between two cognitive impairment categories: (a) subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment (na-MCI), and (b) amnestic mild cognitive impairment (a-MCI) and multiple-domain a-MCI (a-MCI-MD).

Methods

A pilot study in Italy and Romania with 35 older adults (ages 61-85) assessed cognitive function using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and a CRT color response task. Reaction time, accuracy, and demographics were recorded, and machine learning classifiers analyzed performance differences to predict preclinical dementia and screen for mild cognitive deficits.

Results

Moderate correlations were found between the MMSE score and both mean reaction time and mean accuracy rate. There was a significant difference between the two groups' reaction time for blue light, but not for any other colors or for mean accuracy rate. SVM and RUSBoosted trees were found to have the best preclinical dementia prediction capabilities among the tested classifier algorithms, both presenting an accuracy rate of 77.1%.

Conclusions

CRT testing with machine learning effectively differentiates cognitive capacities in older adults, facilitating early diagnosis and stratification of neurocognitive diseases and can also identify impairments from stressors like dehydration and sleep deprivation. This study highlights the potential of portable CRT devices for monitoring cognitive function, including SCD and MCI.

Equity in Digital Health: Assessing Access and Utilization of Remote Patient Monitoring, Medical Apps, and Wearables in Underserved Communities

This study examined access to, and use of remote patient monitoring (RPM), medical applications, and wearables in a racially diverse, lower-income population. Data were obtained via a cross-sectional survey of adults from low-income communities in Houston, Los Angeles, and New York between April and August 2023. The survey examined access to, and use of RPM, medical applications, and wearables, among respondents. Binary responses to the following questions were examined using logistic regression models: In the past 12 months, have you (i) used RPM, (ii) used a medical app, and (iii) used an electronic wearable device to monitor or track health or activity? A total of 305 surveys were returned, of which 212 were complete (69.5% completion rate). Demographically, 22% self-identified as Hispanic, 41% as non-Hispanic Black individuals, and 33% as non-Hispanic White individuals. Overall, 69% of respondents reported a pre-tax annual household income of less than $35 000 and 96% indicated they own a smart phone. However, only 3 of 10 reported using RPM, 15% reported using a medical app, and 14% reported using wearables. Race was strongly associated with RPM usage, with Black respondents significantly less likely to have used RPM, compared to their white counterparts (OR: 0.31, P = .002). Education (bachelor's degree or more OR: 4.79, P = .03) and higher income ($35 001 + OR: 4.68, P = .008) were strongly associated with medical app usage. In the wearables model, the same trend was observed with education (bachelor's degree or more OR: 4.45, P = .04), and higher income ($35 001 + OR: 5.49, P = .01). Compared to earlier studies that have reported utilization rates of between 50% and 60%, our finding of much lower utilization in economically disadvantaged populations that are at greater risks for sub-optimal health outcomes gives cause for greater concern. Considering the ongoing proliferation of digital health technological modalities, this further highlights the need to explore and address equity-based barriers to these health tools.

Telehealth and Health Equity in Older Adults With Heart Failure: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Enhancing access to care using telehealth is a priority for improving outcomes among older adults with heart failure, increasing quality of care, and decreasing costs. Telehealth has the potential to increase access to care for patients who live in underresourced geographic regions, have physical disabilities or poor access to transportation, and may not otherwise have access to cardiologists with expertise in heart failure. During the COVID-19 pandemic, access to telehealth expanded, and yet barriers to access, including broadband inequality, low digital literacy, and structural barriers, prevented many of the disadvantaged patients from getting equitable access. Using a health equity lens, this scientific statement reviews the literature on telehealth for older adults with heart failure; provides an overview of structural, organizational, and personal barriers to telehealth; and presents novel interventions that pair telemedicine with in-person services to mitigate existing barriers and structural inequities.

Telemonitoring for health education and self-management in South Western Sydney

BACKGROUND

Telemonitoring (TM) plays an important role in the self-management of chronic diseases. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of TM in early stages of chronic care for self-management and recognition of signs and symptoms of exacerbation, with a view to completing the TM program in an optimal timeframe to encourage independence and self-management.

METHODS

This study was conducted from 2019 to 2020. Included in the study were patients with chronic conditions at an early stage of their disease residing in the South Western Sydney region. Eligible patients were allocated a TM device for 6months. Their routine tests data were sent in real time to health care professionals. Following assessment by a TM coordinator, suitable patients were off-boarded (deactivation of monitoring device) after 6months. Data on hospitalisation/emergency department presentation and surveys were collected to assess the impact of TM on the level of the patient's understanding of their signs and symptoms of exacerbation, self-care, and quality of life.

RESULTS

Out of 44 patients approached, seven were off-boarded at the 6-month timeframe. The follow-up data on the hospitalisation/emergency department presentation during monitoring and 12months post off-boarding showed a reduction in the frequency of hospitalisation/nil admissions. Patients reported an increased understanding of their health condition and confidence in managing their own health with the support of TM.

CONCLUSION

The result demonstrates the feasibility of TM as a tool for health education and self-management in the coordination of care for chronic disease patients; however, the small sample size was a limitation.

An overview of the effect of telehealth on mortality: A systematic review of meta-analyses

INTRODUCTION

Telehealth is recognised as a viable way of providing health care over distance, and an effective way to increase access for individuals with transport difficulties or those living in rural and remote areas. While telehealth has many positives for patients, clinicians and the health system, it is important that changes in the delivery of health care (e.g. in-person to telehealth) do not result in inferior or unsafe care. In this review, we collate existing meta-analyses of mortality rates to provide a holistic view of the current evidence regarding telehealth safety.

METHODS

In November 2020, a search of Pretty Darn Quick Evidence portal was conducted in order to locate systematic reviews published between 2010 and 2019, examining and meta-analysing the effect of telehealth interventions on mortality compared to usual care.

RESULTS

This review summarises evidence from 24 meta-analyses. Five overarching medical disciplines were represented (cardiovascular, neurology, pulmonary, obstetrics and intensive care). Overall, telehealth did not increase mortality rates.

DISCUSSION

The evidence from this review can be used by decision makers, in conjunction with other disease-specific and health economic evidences, to support and guide telehealth implementation plans.

The promise of digital healthcare technologies

Digital health technologies have been in use for many years in a wide spectrum of healthcare scenarios. This narrative review outlines the current use and the future strategies and significance of digital health technologies in modern healthcare applications. It covers the current state of the scientific field (delineating major strengths, limitations, and applications) and envisions the future impact of relevant emerging key technologies. Furthermore, we attempt to provide recommendations for innovative approaches that would accelerate and benefit the research, translation and utilization of digital health technologies.

Digital outpatient health solutions as a vehicle to improve healthcare sustainability-a United Kingdom focused policy and practice perspective

Introduction

In the midst of a global climate emergency and with health care systems across the world facing extreme pressure, interest in digital approaches as a potential part-solution to these challenges has increased rapidly. The evidence base to support the role that digitalization can play in moving towards more sustainable models of healthcare is growing, as is the awareness of this key area of healthcare reform amongst policy makers, clinicians and the public.

Method and Results

In this policy and practice review we explore four domains of healthcare sustainability-environmental, economic, and patient and clinician, delineating the potential impact that digitally enabled healthcare can have on each area. Real-world examples are provided to illustrate the impact individual digital interventions can have on each pillar of sustainability and demonstrate the scale of the potential benefits which can be achieved.

Discussion

Digitally enabled healthcare solutions present an approach which offer numerous benefits, including environmental sustainability, economic benefits, and improved patient experience. There are also potential drawbacks such as the risk of digital exclusion and the need for integration with existing technology platforms. Overall, it is essential to strike a balance between the benefits and potential drawbacks of digital healthcare solutions to ensure that they are equitable, effective, and sustainable.

A National Perspective of Telemedicine Use and Direct Medical Costs: Who Uses It and How Much It Costs

BACKGROUND

Telemedicine has the potential to reduce medical costs among health systems. However, there is a limited understanding of the use of telemedicine and its association with direct medical costs.

OBJECTIVES

Using nationally representative data, we investigated telemedicine use and the associated direct medical costs among respondents overall and stratified by medical provider type and patient insurance status.

RESEARCH DESIGN, SUBJECTS, AND MEASURES

We used the 2020 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey full-year consolidated file, and outpatient department (OP) and office-based (OB) medical provider event files. Outcomes included total and out-of-pocket costs per visit for OP and OB. The primary independent variable was a binary variable indicating visits made through any telemedicine modality. We used multivariable generalized linear models and 2-part models, adjusting for types of providers and care, patient characteristics, and survey design.

RESULTS

Among total OP (n = 2938) and OB (n = 20,204) visits, 47.6% and 24.7% of visits, respectively were made through telemedicine. For OP, telemedicine visits were associated with lower total costs (average marginal effect: -$228; 95% confidence interval -$362, -$95) and out-of-pocket costs for all visits and for visits to specialists and to nurse practitioners or physicians assistants. For OB, telemedicine visits were associated with lower total costs, but not with lower out-of-pocket costs, for visits to primary care physicians or nurse practitioners or physician assistants, and for visits by Medicare patients.

CONCLUSION

Telemedicine was associated with lower direct medical costs. Its potential for cost curbing should be proactively identified and integrated into clinical practice and health policy design.

Virtual Cardiology: Past, Present, Future Directions, and Considerations

Purpose of Review

Through this review, we attempt to explore the role of telemedicine and virtual visits in the field of cardiology pre-COVID-19 and during COVID-19 pandemic, their limitations and their future scope for delivery of care.

Recent Findings

Telemedicine, which rose to prominence during COVID-19 pandemic, helped not only in reducing the burden on the healthcare system during a time of crisis but also in improving patient outcomes. Patients and physicians also favored virtual visits when feasible. Virtual visits were found to have the potential to be continued beyond the pandemic and play a significant role in patient care alongside conventional face-to-face visits.

Summary

Although tele-cardiology has proven beneficial in terms of patient care, convenience, and access, it comes with its fair share of limitations-both logistical and medical. Whilst there remains a great scope for improvement in the quality of patient care provided through telemedicine, it has shown the potential to become an integral part of medical practice in the future.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12170-023-00719-0.

Effects of post-discharge telemonitoring on 30-day chronic obstructive pulmonary disease readmissions and mortality

INTRODUCTION

Much attention has been focused on decreasing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) hospital readmissions. The US health system has struggled to meet this goal. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of telehealth services on the reduction of hospital readmission and mortality rates for COPD.

METHODS

We used a cross-sectional design to examine the association between hospital risk-adjusted readmission and mortality rates for COPD and hospital use of post-discharge telemonitoring (TM). Data for 777 hospitals were sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the American Hospital Association annual surveys. Propensity score matching using the kennel weights method was applied to calculate the weighted probability of being a hospital that offers post-discharge TM services.

RESULTS

Hospitals with post-discharge TM had about 34% significantly higher odds (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.34; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06-1.70) of 30-day COPD readmission and 33% significantly lower odds (AOR = 0.67; 95% CI 0.50-0.90) of 30-day COPD mortality compared to hospitals without post-discharge TM services.

DISCUSSION

Overall, hospitals that offer post-discharge TM services have seen an improvement in 30-day COPD mortality rates. However, those same hospitals have also experienced a significant increase in 30-day COPD readmissions. TM can potentially decrease mortality in patients recently admitted for acute exacerbation of COPD. The results provide further evidence that readmissions present a problematic assessment of health-care quality, as the need for readmission may or may not be directly related to the quality of care received while in hospital.

Predictors of patients' acceptance of video consultation in general practice during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic applying the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has led to an increase in remote consultations in health care. This study aimed to assess the acceptance of video consultation as an alternative to face-to-face in-office visits in general practice (GP) and to investigate its drivers and barriers.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Germany during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic from December 2020 to April 2021. Participants were recruited among patients in 16 GP surgeries. Assessed were sociodemographic and medical data as well as information and communications technology related data. Acceptance of video consultation and its predictors were determined using a modified questionnaire based on a short version of the renowned unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model.

Results

In total, 371 participants were included in the data analysis. Acceptance of video consultation was moderate. A hierarchical regression revealed acceptance was significantly predicted by the PHQ-2, taking no regular medication, computer proficiency, knowledge about digital health care solutions, no prior use of video consultation, and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology predictors performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence. The extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model explained significantly more variance than the restricted unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model in acceptance of video consultation.

Conclusions

In this study computer proficiency, existing knowledge about digital health care solutions and depressive symptoms functioned as drivers to acceptance, no prior use of video consultation could be identified as a potential barrier. Patients with regular medication have been particularly receptive to video consultation. The study confirmed the validity of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model in determining acceptance of video consultation. Considering that there is growing demand and acceptance for different approaches to engage with health care providers, additional steps should be taken to establish video consultation as a genuine alternative.

Patient-centered care in geriatric cardiology

Geriatric cardiology involves providing cardiovascular care to older adults in relation to aging. Although cardiovascular diseases are the most common diseases faced by older adults, they often co-occur with numerous aging-related challenges, such as multimorbidity, frailty, polypharmacy, falls, functional and cognitive impairment, which present challenges to implementing standard disease-based treatment strategies. Faced with these complexities, patient-centered care in geriatric cardiology strives to direct all management toward the achievement of an individual's prioritized health and life goals by employing shared decision-making to align treatment with goals, utilizing stated goals to navigate situations of treatment uncertainty, and pro-actively mitigating aging-related risks. This fundamental change in cardiovascular medicine from disease-centered management to patient-centered goal-directed care is necessary to facilitate wellness, independence, and favorable quality of life outcomes in the older adult population.

[Health enabling technologies and intelligent environments in rehabilitation]

BACKGROUND

The increasing digitalization of society is having an impact on medicine. People increasingly use digital devices and services for various purposes (e.g., sports, security, convenience). Ubiquity, a strong degree of connectivity and high context sensitivity are creating intelligent environments that generate data about individuals. Suitable evaluation algorithms can extract information about the personal health status that can be used for diagnostics and treatment. Gamification methods allow patients to be more actively involved in their recovery, which can have a positive effect on adherence. Particularly in the field of rehabilitation medicine, which often affects and interacts with the personal living environment, the use of this information can make a difference.

OBJECTIVE

Using specific examples of the application of assistive health technologies and intelligent environments in rehabilitation medicine, the current state of development is presented and the possible future research directions and needs for action in this field are presented in a practical way.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Three exemplary research projects introduce the topic, are embedded in the current state of research and allow a projection into the future against the background of many years of experience.

RESULTS

The reported projects show not only the technical feasibility but also individually the medical effectiveness of interventions.

CONCLUSION

Finally, an analysis of the barriers that have so far prevented a more intensive use of the technologies and how these might be countered is carried out.

The Role of Telemedicine in the Management of Patients with Chronic Diseases in Primary Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction:The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly spread to many countries and has led various primary healthcare services of chronic diseases to be neglected and only partially be replaced by telemedicine services. This study aims to investigate the role of telemedicine in the management of patients with noncommunicable diseases in primary health care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A narrative review of the literature was carried out through searching the PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Results: From the initial stages of the pandemic, several scientific medical societies issued guidelines which urged citizens and health personnel to adopt digital means in the provision of regular chronic care as much as possible. The significant benefits of the telemedicine sessions partially only filled the gap of the deferred chronic care. On the other hand, many barriers need to be addressed in order to achieve an equitable and high-quality implementation of telemedicine services. Conclusion:The widespread application of telemedicine and self-monitoring was brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and currently, they have become common ways of managing non-communicable diseases in primary health care. Innovations introduced need to be maintained and integrated into conventional traditional practices, so that health systems are more resilient to future public health emergencies.

Effectiveness of Telemedicine for the Management of Foot Ulcers in People With Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis

Treatment of diabetes-related foot ulcers presents great pressure on the healthcare system in terms of management strategy and allocation of resources. Telemedicine can be used to treat diabetic foot ulcers more effectively. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the impacts of telemedicine on the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. The current meta-analysis was conducted as per the reported guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement. Two reviewers independently searched for relevant articles using PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from inception to 31 August 2022, assessing the impacts of telemedicine on the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. The primary outcomes assessed in the current meta-analysis included the percentage of foot ulcers healed and the time of healing foot ulcers within 12 months. Secondary outcomes included the percentage of amputation (minor and major) and all-cause mortality. A total of six studies were included in the current meta-analysis enrolling 1876 patients with diabetic foot ulcers. No difference was there between the two groups in terms of the number of patients whose ulcer healed (risk ratio (RR): 1.01, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.93-1.09), time to healing of wound within 12 months (mean difference: -0.07, 95% CI: -0.31-0.17), the incidence of amputation (RR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.54-1.00), and all-cause mortality (RR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.42-2.37). In conclusion, the study found that telemedicine is non-inferior to standard care in terms of reducing healing time and the number of patients with ulcer healing within 12 months. The study also found that the incidence of amputation is also lower in patients assigned to the telemedicine group compared to patients in the control group and no significant differences were reported in terms of mortality.

Home Telemonitoring and a Diagnostic Algorithm in the Management of Heart Failure in the Netherlands: Cost-effectiveness Analysis

BACKGROUND

Heart failure is a major health concern associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and reduced quality of life in patients. Home telemonitoring (HTM) facilitates frequent or continuous assessment of disease signs and symptoms, and it has shown to improve compliance by involving patients in their own care and prevent emergency admissions by facilitating early detection of clinically significant changes. Diagnostic algorithms (DAs) are predictive mathematical relationships that make use of a wide range of collected data for calculating the likelihood of a particular event and use this output for prioritizing patients with regard to their treatment.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to assess the cost-effectiveness of HTM and a DA in the management of heart failure in the Netherlands. Three interventions were analyzed: usual care, HTM, and HTM plus a DA.

METHODS

A previously published discrete event simulation model was used. The base-case analysis was performed according to the Dutch guidelines for economic evaluation. Sensitivity, scenario, and value of information analyses were performed. Particular attention was given to the cost-effectiveness of the DA at various levels of diagnostic accuracy of event prediction and to different patient subgroups.

RESULTS

HTM plus the DA extendedly dominates HTM alone, and it has a deterministic incremental cost-effectiveness ratio compared with usual care of €27,712 (currency conversion rate in purchasing power parity at the time of study: €1=US $1.29; further conversions are not applicable in cost-effectiveness terms) per quality-adjusted life year. The model showed robustness in the sensitivity and scenario analyses. HTM plus the DA had a 96.0% probability of being cost-effective at the appropriate €80,000 per quality-adjusted life year threshold. An optimal point for the threshold value for the alarm of the DA in terms of its cost-effectiveness was estimated. New York Heart Association class IV patients were the subgroup with the worst cost-effectiveness results versus usual care, while HTM plus the DA was found to be the most cost-effective for patients aged <65 years and for patients in New York Heart Association class I.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the increased costs of adopting HTM plus the DA in the management of heart failure may seemingly be an additional strain on scarce health care resources, the results of this study demonstrate that, by increasing patient life expectancy by 1.28 years and reducing their hospitalization rate by 23% when compared with usual care, the use of this technology may be seen as an investment, as HTM plus the DA in its current form extendedly dominates HTM alone and is cost-effective compared with usual care at normally accepted thresholds in the Netherlands.

The Willingness to Pay for Telemedicine Among Patients With Chronic Diseases: Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Telemedicine is increasingly being leveraged, as the need for remote access to health care has been driven by the rising chronic disease incidence and the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also important to understand patients' willingness to pay (WTP) for telemedicine and the factors contributing toward it, as this knowledge may inform health policy planning processes, such as resource allocation or the development of a pricing strategy for telemedicine services. Currently, most of the published literature is focused on cost-effectiveness analysis findings, which guide health care financing from the health system's perspective. However, there is limited exploration of the WTP from a patient's perspective, despite it being pertinent to the sustainability of telemedicine interventions.

OBJECTIVE

To address this gap in research, this study aims to conduct a systematic review to describe the WTP for telemedicine interventions and to identify the factors influencing WTP among patients with chronic diseases in high-income settings.

METHODS

We systematically searched 4 databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, and EconLit). A total of 2 authors were involved in the appraisal. Studies were included if they reported the WTP amounts or identified the factors associated with patients' WTP, involved patients aged ≥18 years who were diagnosed with chronic diseases, and were from high-income settings.

RESULTS

A total of 11 studies from 7 countries met this study's inclusion criteria. The proportion of people willing to pay for telemedicine ranged from 19% to 70% across the studies, whereas the values for WTP amounts ranged from US $0.89 to US $821.25. We found a statistically significant correlation of age and distance to a preferred health facility with the WTP for telemedicine. Higher age was associated with a lower WTP, whereas longer travel distance was associated with a higher WTP.

CONCLUSIONS

On the basis of our findings, the following are recommendations that may enhance the WTP: exposure to the telemedicine intervention before assessing the WTP, the lowering of telemedicine costs, and the provision of patient education to raise awareness on telemedicine's benefits and address patients' concerns. In addition, we recommend that future research be directed at standardizing the reporting of WTP studies with the adoption of a common metric for WTP amounts, which may facilitate the generalization of findings and effect estimates.

Telehealth Adoption and Discontinuation by US Hospitals: Results From 2 Quasi-Natural Experiments

Background

Prior US hospital telehealth (video visit) studies have focused on describing factors that influence telehealth adoption or performance effects for specific patient segments, hospital systems, or geographic regions. To our knowledge, a larger-scale, national-level (US) study has yet to be conducted on the causal impacts of hospital telehealth adoption as well as discontinuation.

Objective

The aim of this study is to understand the causal impact of US hospital telehealth adoption or discontinuation on hospital performance from 2016 to 2018.

Methods

We analyzed impacts of telehealth adoption or discontinuation by US hospitals on emergency department visits, total ambulatory visits (minus emergency department visits), outpatient services revenue, total facility expenses, and total hospital revenue for the 2016-2018 period. We specifically focused on performance effects for hospitals that switched from not having telehealth to adopting telehealth, or vice versa, during the 2016-2018 period, thus exploiting 2 quasi-natural experiments. We applied a difference-in-differences research design to each of the 2 main analyses. We compared hospitals that have made a telehealth change to groups of hospitals with similar characteristics that did not make a telehealth change, which established a counterfactual. To appropriately match hospitals between treatment and control groups, we applied propensity score matching. Our primary data were from the American Hospital Association Annual Survey and the Healthcare Cost Report Information System data. Several control variables were obtained from additional sources, including the Area Health Resource File and the Federal Communications Commission.

Results

We found that telehealth adoption by US hospitals during the 2016-2018 period resulted in, on average, an increased number of total ambulatory visits (P=.008), increased total facility expenses (P<.001), and increased hospital revenue (P=.004) compared with the control group. We found that telehealth discontinuation during the same period resulted in, on average, decreased outpatient services revenue (P=.02) compared with the control group.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that telehealth adoption increases use but has mixed impacts on performance, given that cost and revenue increase. However, once telehealth is offered, removing it can have a negative impact on performance, implying that returning to prior performance levels, if telehealth is removed, may be challenging.

Factors affecting doctor’s recommendation for mobile health services

Objective

As a new medical service mode, the value of mobile health (mHealth） services has received increasing attention and recognition. However, compared with the owners of mobile devices, the user scale of mHealth services is still small. It is well known that doctors’ recommendations have an important impact on what kind of medical service patients choose. To explore the key factors affecting doctors’ recommendation of mHealth services to patients, and to provide countermeasures for mHealth service providers and hospital managers, so as to promote doctors to recommend mHealth services to more patients.

Methods

Through literature review, expert consultation and pre-test, a questionnaire including 22 questions was designed, and 114 valid questionnaires were collected by online research. Net Promoter Score (NPS) was used to evaluate doctors’ recommendation willingness, and multivariate logistics analysis was used to evaluate the key factors affecting doctors’ recommendation willingness.

Results

The NPS of doctors was 6.06%, among which the recommenders, neutrals and critics accounted for 29.56%, 46.96% and 23.48%, respectively. The attitude towards mHealth services and whether they pay attention to and/or are willing to try new technologies are the key factors affecting the doctors’ recommendation, and the usefulness for patients most often emphasized by mHealth service providers to doctors does not affect doctors’ recommendation willingness. In addition, whether mHealth services can help doctors establish personal brands may be a potential factor to enhance doctors’ recommendation willingness.

Conclusion

In order to improve the recommendation willingness of doctors, mHealth service providers and hospital managers should focus on doctors who have a positive attitude towards mHealth services and are highly innovative (which often means younger and lower professional levels). At the same time, they should think about how to use mHealth services to help doctors establish personal brands in the future.

Intelligent Telehealth in Pharmacovigilance: A Future Perspective

Pharmacovigilance improves patient safety by detecting and preventing adverse drug events. However, challenges exist that limit adverse drug event detection, resulting in many adverse drug events being underreported or inaccurately reported. One challenge includes having access to large data sets from various sources including electronic health records and wearable medical devices. Artificial intelligence, including machine learning methods, such as natural language processing and deep learning, can detect and extract information about adverse drug events, thus automating the pharmacovigilance process and improving the surveillance of known and documented adverse drug events. In addition, with the increased demand for telehealth services, for managing both acute and chronic diseases, artificial intelligence methods can play a role in detecting and preventing adverse drug events. In this review, we discuss two use cases of how artificial intelligence methods may be useful to improve the quality of pharmacovigilance and the role of artificial intelligence in telehealth practices.

An evaluation of the provision of oncology rehabilitation services via telemedicine using a participatory design approach

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally impacted the delivery of healthcare services globally. In line with UK government guidelines on social distancing, the use of telemedicine was implemented to facilitate the ongoing provision of cancer rehabilitation.

PURPOSE

We sought to evaluate and co-design telemedicine services to meet the complex needs of our patients and carers at a tertiary cancer centre.

METHODS

Experience-based co-design methodology was adapted to include virtual methods. Staff members (n = 12) and patients (n = 11) who had delivered or received therapies services at our UK cancer centre since March 2020 were recruited to take part in one-to-one virtual interviews. Patient interviews were video recorded, analysed and edited to a 30-min "trigger film". Patient and staff virtual events were undertaken thereafter. A joint virtual patient and staff event occurred. Staff and patients watched the trigger film and as partners, agreed areas for change and developed groups for service co-design.

RESULTS

Positive aspects regarding telemedicine provision were highlighted including reduced financial and time burden on patients, and increased flexibility for both staff and patients. The key concerns included digital exclusion, safety, communication and patient choice. Four co-design groups have been established to enact changes in these priority areas.

CONCLUSION

Using a participatory design approach, we have worked in partnership with patients and staff to ensure the safe, acceptable and effective delivery of rehabilitation services with integrated telemedicine.

Carbon Dioxide Sensing-Biomedical Applications to Human Subjects

Carbon dioxide (CO2) monitoring in human subjects is of crucial importance in medical practice. Transcutaneous monitors based on the Stow-Severinghaus electrode make a good alternative to the painful and risky arterial "blood gases" sampling. Yet, such monitors are not only expensive, but also bulky and continuously drifting, requiring frequent recalibrations by trained medical staff. Aiming at finding alternatives, the full panel of CO2 measurement techniques is thoroughly reviewed. The physicochemical working principle of each sensing technique is given, as well as some typical merit criteria, advantages, and drawbacks. An overview of the main CO2 monitoring methods and sites routinely used in clinical practice is also provided, revealing their constraints and specificities. The reviewed CO2 sensing techniques are then evaluated in view of the latter clinical constraints and transcutaneous sensing coupled to a dye-based fluorescence CO2 sensing seems to offer the best potential for the development of a future non-invasive clinical CO2 monitor.

Bridging the impactibility gap in population health management: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

Assess whether impactibility modelling is being used to refine risk stratification for preventive health interventions.

DESIGN

Systematic review.

SETTING

Primary and secondary healthcare populations.

PAPERS

Articles published from 2010 to 2020 on the use or implementation of impactibility modelling in population health management, reported with the terms 'intervenability', 'amenability', and 'propensity to succeed' (PTS) and associated with the themes 'care sensitivity', 'characteristic responders', 'needs gap', 'case finding', 'patient selection' and 'risk stratification'.

INTERVENTIONS

Qualitative synthesis to identify themes for approaches to impactibility modelling.

RESULTS

Of 1244 records identified, 20 were eligible for inclusion. Identified themes were 'health conditions amenable to care' (n=6), 'PTS modelling' (n=8) and 'comparison or combination with clinical judgement' (n=6). For the theme 'health conditions amenable to care', changes in practice did not reduce admissions, particularly for ambulatory care sensitive conditions, and sometimes increased them, with implementation noted as a possible issue. For 'PTS modelling', high costs and needs did not necessarily equate to high impactibility and targeting a larger number of individuals with disorders associated with lower costs had more potential. PTS modelling seemed to improve accuracy in care planning, estimation of cost savings, engagement and/or care quality. The 'comparison or combination with clinical judgement' theme suggested that models can reach reasonable to good discriminatory power to detect impactable patients. For instance, a model used to identify patients appropriate for proactive multimorbid care management showed good concordance with physicians (c-statistic 0.75). Another model employing electronic health record scores reached 65% concordance with nurse and physician decisions when referring elderly hospitalised patients to a readmission prevention programme. However, healthcare professionals consider much wider information that might improve or impede the likelihood of treatment impact, suggesting that complementary use of models might be optimum.

CONCLUSIONS

The efficiency and equity of targeted preventive care guided by risk stratification could be augmented and personalised by impactibility modelling.

Culture-Specific Observations in a Saudi Arabian Digital Home Health Care Program: Focus Group Discussions With Patients and Their Caregivers

Background

There is growing evidence of the need to consider cultural factors in the design and implementation of digital health interventions. However, there is still inadequate knowledge pertaining to the aspects of the Saudi Arabian culture that need to be considered in the design and implementation of digital health programs, especially in the context of home health care services for patients who are chronically and terminally ill.

Objective

This study aims to explore the specific cultural factors related to patients and their caregivers from the perspective of physicians, nurses, and trainers that have influenced the pilot implementation of Remotely Accessible Healthcare At Home, a connected health program in the Home Health Care department at King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Methods

A qualitative study design was adopted to conduct a focus group discussion in July 2019 using a semistructured interview guide with 3 female and 4 male participants working as nurses, family physicians, and information technologists. Qualitative data obtained were analyzed using a thematic framework analysis.

Results

A total of 2 categories emerged from the focus group discussion that influenced the experiences of digital health program intervention: first, culture-related factors including language and communication, cultural views on using cameras during consultation, nonadherence to web-based consultations, and family role and commitment and second, caregiver characteristics in telemedicine that includes their skills and education and electronic literacy. Participants of this study revealed that indirect contact with patients and their family members may work as a barrier to proper communication through the Remotely Accessible Healthcare At Home program.

Conclusions

We recommend exploring the use of interpreters in digital health, creating awareness among the local population regarding privacy in digital health, and actively involving direct family members with the health care providers.

Orthopedic Asynchronous Teleconsultation for Primary Care Patients by a Large-Scale Telemedicine Service in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Background: Telemedicine was implemented in Brazil as a way to support primary health care (PHC). Orthopedic complaints are common in PHC, and, because musculoskeletal diseases are the most frequent causes of chronic pain, it is important to explore knowledge gaps of PHC as well as to understand the teleconsultations' impact on reducing referrals to secondary care. Materials and Methods: Observational, retrospective study that analyzed consecutive orthopedic asynchronous teleconsultations from the Telehealth Network of Minas Gerais, a large-scale public telehealth service, performed from September 17, 2013 to June 18, 2020. Teleconsultations were analyzed based on the type of query. Results: Throughout the study, 1,174 teleconsultations from 254 municipalities were analyzed. Most requests for teleconsultations were from nurses (37.8%) and physicians (48.7%). In 58.3%, challenges could be solved by a general practitioner, meanwhile 38.4% needed referral to an orthopedic specialist. Most queries related to a specific case (assistencial teleconsultation, 66.0%), and the others were classified as educational (34%). With regard to the motivation for the assistencial teleconsultations, 72% approached treatment options, 49.5% surrounded possible diagnosis, and 20.1% discussed patient's rehabilitation. In addition, 95.5% of requests could be solved by teleconsultation, without the need for referral to in-person consultation with the specialist. Conclusions: Teleconsultations can help investigate the most frequent queries in PHC. Most of them were solved without the need for referral, showing the potential of teleconsultations in daily practice as a way to manage patients and guarantee better access to first-rate health care. As for the public health system, teleconsultations represent a way to overcome the distance barrier to health care access.

Assessment of an Interactive Digital Health-Based Self-management Program to Reduce Hospitalizations Among Patients With Multiple Chronic Diseases: A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE

Digital health programs may have the potential to prevent hospitalizations among patients with chronic diseases by supporting patient self-management, symptom monitoring, and coordinated care.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the effect of an internet-based self-management and symptom monitoring program targeted to patients with 2 or more chronic diseases (internet chronic disease management [CDM]) with usual care on hospitalizations over a 2-year period.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This single-blinded randomized clinical trial included patients with multiple chronic diseases from 71 primary care clinics in small urban and rural areas throughout British Columbia, Canada. Recruitment occurred between October 1, 2011, and March 23, 2015. A volunteer sample of 456 patients was screened for eligibility. Inclusion criteria included daily internet access, age older than 19 years, fluency in English, and the presence of 2 or more of the following 5 conditions: diabetes, heart failure, ischemic heart disease, chronic kidney disease, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A total of 230 patients consented to participate and were randomized to receive either the internet CDM intervention (n = 117) or usual care (n = 113). One participant in the internet CDM group withdrew from the study after randomization, resulting in 229 participants for whom data on the primary outcome were available.

INTERVENTIONS

Internet-based self-management program using telephone nursing supports and integration within primary care compared with usual care over a 2-year period.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcome was all-cause hospitalizations at 2 years. Secondary outcomes included hospital length of stay, quality of life, self-management, and social support. Additional outcomes included the number of participants with at least 1 hospitalization, the number of participants who experienced a composite outcome of all-cause hospitalization or death, the time to first hospitalization, and the number of in-hospital days.

RESULTS

Among 229 participants included in the analysis, the mean (SD) age was 70.5 (9.1) years, and 141 participants (61.6%) were male; data on race and ethnicity were not collected because there was no planned analysis of these variables. The internet CDM group had 25 fewer hospitalizations compared with the usual care group (56 hospitalizations vs 81 hospitalizations, respectively [30.9% reduction]; relative risk [RR], 0.68; 95% CI, 0.43-1.10; P = .12). The intervention group also had 229 fewer in-hospital days compared with the usual care group (282 days vs 511 days, respectively; RR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.24-1.10; P = .09). Components of self-management and social support improved in the intervention group. Fewer participants in the internet CDM vs usual care group had at least 1 hospitalization (32 of 116 individuals [27.6%] vs 46 of 113 individuals [40.7%]; odds ratio [OR], 0.55; 95% CI, 0.31-0.96; P = .03) or experienced the composite outcome of all-cause hospitalization or death (37 of 116 individuals [31.9%] vs 51 of 113 individuals [45.1%]; OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.33-0.98; P = .04). Participants in the internet CDM group had a lower risk of time to first hospitalization (hazard ratio, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.39-0.97; P = .04) than those in the usual care group.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this study, an internet-based self-management program did not result in a significant reduction in hospitalization. However, fewer participants in the intervention group were admitted to the hospital or experienced the composite outcome of all-cause hospitalization or death. These findings suggest the internet CDM program has the potential to augment primary care among patients with multiple chronic diseases.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01342263.

Revealing the Nature of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Using Self-tracking and Analysis of Contact Patterns: Longitudinal Study

Background

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death and is characterized by a progressive loss of pulmonary function over time with intermittent episodes of exacerbations. Rapid and proactive interventions may reduce the burden of the condition for the patients. Telehealth solutions involving self-tracking of vital parameters such as pulmonary function, oxygen saturation, heart rate, and temperature with synchronous communication of health data may become a powerful solution as they enable health care professionals to react with a proactive and adequate response. We have taken this idea to the next level in the Epital Care Model and organized a person-centered technology-assisted ecosystem to provide health services to COPD patients.

Objective

The objective is to reveal the nature of COPD by combining technology with a person-centered design aimed to benefit from interactions based on patient-reported outcome data and to assess the needed kind of contacts to best treat exacerbations. We wanted to know the following: (1) What are the incidences of mild, moderate, and severe exacerbations in a mixed population of COPD patients? (2) What are the courses of mild, moderate, and severe exacerbations? And (3) How is the activity and pattern of contacts with health professionals related to the participant conditions?

Methods

Participants were recruited by convenience sampling from November 2013 to December 2015. The participants’ sex, age, forced expiratory volume during the first second, pulse rate, and oxygen saturation were registered at entry. During the study, we registered number of days, number of exacerbations, and number of contact notes coded into care and treatment notes. Each participant was classified according to GOLD I-IV and risk factor group A-D. Participants reported their clinical status using a tablet by answering 4 questions and sending 3 semiautomated measurements.

Results

Of the 87 participants, 11 were in risk factor group A, 24 in B, 13 in C, and 39 in D. The number of observed days was 31,801 days with 12,470 measurements, 1397 care notes, and 1704 treatment notes. A total of 254 exacerbations were treated and only 18 caused hospitalization. Those in risk factor group D had the highest number of hospitalizations (16), exacerbations (151), and contacts (1910). The initial contacts during the first month declined within 3 months to one-third for care contacts and one-half for treatment contacts and reached a plateau after 4 months.

Conclusions

The majority of COPD patients in risk factor group D can be managed virtually, and only 13% of those with severe exacerbations required hospitalization. Contact to the health care professionals decreases markedly within the first months after enrollment. These results provide a new and detailed insight into the course of COPD. We propose a resilience index for virtual clinical management making it easier to compare results across settings.

Effectiveness and feasibility of home-based telerehabilitation for community-dwelling elderly people in Southeast Asian countries and regions: a systematic review

This systematic review aimed to evaluate the impact of home-based telerehabilitation on physical function among community-dwelling elderly people in Southeast Asian countries and regions, and to investigate its feasibility. A systematic electronic literature search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE and PEDro according to PRISMA guidelines. Randomized controlled trials conducted in the area that involved elderly people and any physical function indexes were included. Home-based telerehabilitation was defined as a specific remote rehabilitation intervention that used any kind of technological device allowing healthcare professional/patient interaction. Information regarding the effect and feasibility (intervention completion rate) of home-based telerehabilitation was extracted from eligible articles. We used the Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials to assess methodological quality of the included articles. Eventually, six studies were included as eligible articles. The overall risk of bias judgement was assessed as “High” in five studies. All studies were conducted in either China or South Korea, and heterogeneity in terms of participants’ health condition and intervention regimen was observed across the studies. Our narrative-based analysis showed that compared with conventional rehabilitation, either equal or better effects on physical function were reported across the six studies. The intervention completion rates were 81% ± 11 on average (range 59–96%). Although we could not obtain conclusive evidence due to limited relevant information with heterogeneity across the studies, our findings suggest that home-based telerehabilitation can be a strategy for rehabilitation service delivery with acceptable feasibility comparable to conventional rehabilitation for elderly people in the area.

Health outcomes: Towards the accreditation of respiratory medicine departments

National health systems must ensure compliance with conditions such as equity, efficiency, quality, and transparency. Since it is the right of society to know the health outcomes of its healthcare system, our aim was to develop a proposal for the accreditation of respiratory medicine departments in terms of care, teaching, and research, measuring health outcomes using quality of care indicators. The management tools proposed in this article should be implemented to improve outcomes and help us achieve our objectives. Promoting accreditation can serve as a stimulus to improve clinical management and enable professionals to take on greater leadership roles and take action to improve outcomes in patient care.

Home telemonitoring for chronic disease management: Perceptions of users and factors influencing adoption

Home telemonitoring has been used as a solution to support the care of individuals living with chronic disease. While effectiveness of telemonitoring have been widely studied, more research is needed to understand the perceptions among patients and clinicians in incorporating telemonitoring into their daily routine and practices. This paper presents an investigation of patients' and clinicians' experiences in a care augmenting telemonitoring service, their perceived impact delivered through the service, and clinicians' perceptions on how the service was introduced in their organizations. This work was embedded in a large multi-site trial of home telemonitoring using a mixed method approach for evaluation. Interviews with clinicians involved in the study were conducted at multiple time points during the trial. Questionnaires were administered to clinicians and patients at the end of the trial. Results showed that both patients and clinicians recognized the benefits of patient empowerment through telemonitoring, and patient-clinician interactions. Results identified the needs of a dedicated telemonitoring clinical care coordinator role, guidelines that translate telemonitoring services into clinical pathways and engagement of different healthcare providers, especially general practitioners, to support the integration of telemonitoring into chronic disease management programs and long-term organizational strategic plans.

Telehealth interventions: remote monitoring and consultations for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

BACKGROUND

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, including bronchitis and emphysema) is a chronic condition causing shortness of breath, cough, and exacerbations leading to poor health outcomes. Face-to-face visits with health professionals can be hindered by severity of COPD or frailty, and by people living at a distance from their healthcare provider and having limited access to services. Telehealth technologies aimed at providing health care remotely through monitoring and consultations could help to improve health outcomes of people with COPD.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effectiveness of telehealth interventions that allow remote monitoring and consultation and multi-component interventions for reducing exacerbations and improving quality of life, while reducing dyspnoea symptoms, hospital service utilisation, and death among people with COPD.

SEARCH METHODS

We identified studies from the Cochrane Airways Trials Register. Additional sources searched included the US National Institutes of Health Ongoing Trials Register, the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and the IEEEX Xplore Digital Library. The latest search was conducted in April 2020. We used the GRADE approach to judge the certainty of evidence for outcomes.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Eligible randomised controlled trials (RCTs) included adults with diagnosed COPD. Asthma, cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, and other respiratory conditions were excluded. Interventions included remote monitoring or consultation plus usual care, remote monitoring or consultation alone, and mult-component interventions from all care settings. Quality of life scales included St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and the COPD Assessment Test (CAT). The dyspnoea symptom scale used was the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire Self-Administered Standardized Scale (CRQ-SAS).

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We used standard Cochrane methodological procedures. We assessed confidence in the evidence for each primary outcome using the GRADE method. Primary outcomes were exacerbations, quality of life, dyspnoea symptoms, hospital service utilisation, and mortality; a secondary outcome consisted of adverse events.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 29 studies in the review (5654 participants; male proportion 36% to 96%; female proportion 4% to 61%). Most remote monitoring interventions required participants to transfer measurements using a remote device and later health professional review (asynchronous). Only five interventions transferred data and allowed review by health professionals in real time (synchronous). Studies were at high risk of bias due to lack of blinding, and certainty of evidence ranged from moderate to very low. We found no evidence on comparison of remote consultations with or without usual care. Remote monitoring plus usual care (8 studies, 1033 participants) Very uncertain evidence suggests that remote monitoring plus usual care may have little to no effect on the number of people experiencing exacerbations at 26 weeks or 52 weeks. There may be little to no difference in effect on quality of life (SGRQ) at 26 weeks (very low to low certainty) or on hospitalisation (all-cause or COPD-related; very low certainty). COPD-related hospital re-admissions are probably reduced at 26 weeks (hazard ratio 0.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.19 to 0.93; 106 participants; moderate certainty). There may be little to no difference in deaths between intervention and usual care (very low certainty). We found no evidence for dyspnoea symptoms or adverse events. Remote monitoring alone (10 studies, 2456 participants) Very uncertain evidence suggests that remote monitoring may result in little to no effect on the number of people experiencing exacerbations at 41 weeks (odds ratio 1.02, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.55). There may be little to no effect on quality of life (SGRQ total at 17 weeks, or CAT at 38 and 52 weeks; very low certainty). There may be little to no effect on dyspnoea symptoms on the CRQ-SAS at 26 weeks (low certainty). There may be no difference in effects on the number of people admitted to hospital (very low certainty) or on deaths (very low certainty). We found no evidence for adverse events. Multi-component interventions with remote monitoring or consultation component (11 studies, 2165 participants) Very uncertain evidence suggests that multi-component interventions may have little to no effect on the number of people experiencing exacerbations at 52 weeks. Quality of life at 13 weeks may improve as seen in SGRQ total score (mean difference -9.70, 95% CI -18.32 to -1.08; 38 participants; low certainty) but not at 26 or 52 weeks (very low certainty). COPD assessment test (CAT) scores may improve at a mean of 38 weeks, but evidence is very uncertain and interventions are varied. There may be little to no effect on the number of people admitted to hospital at 33 weeks (low certainty). Multi-component interventions are likely to result in fewer people re-admitted to hospital at a mean of 39 weeks (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.81; 344 participants, 3 studies; moderate certainty). There may be little to no difference in death at a mean of 40 weeks (very low certainty). There may be little to no effect on people experiencing adverse events (very low certainty). We found no evidence for dyspnoea symptoms.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Remote monitoring plus usual care provided asynchronously may not be beneficial overall compared to usual care alone. Some benefit is seen in reduction of COPD-related hospital re-admissions, but moderate-certainty evidence is based on one study. We have not found any evidence for dyspnoea symptoms nor harms, and there is no difference in fatalities when remote monitoring is provided in addition to usual care. Remote monitoring interventions alone are no better than usual care overall for health outcomes. Multi-component interventions with asynchronous remote monitoring are no better than usual care but may provide short-term benefit for quality of life and may result in fewer re-admissions to hospital for any cause. We are uncertain whether remote monitoring is responsible for the positive impact on re-admissions, and we are unable to discern the long-term benefits of receiving remote monitoring as part of patient care. Owing to paucity of evidence, it is unclear which COPD severity subgroups would benefit from telehealth interventions. Given there is no evidence of harm, telehealth interventions may be beneficial as an additional health resource depending on individual needs based on professional assessment. Larger studies can determine long-term effects of these interventions.