Home Telemonitoring of Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

Telehealth has emerged as an evolving care management strategy that is playing an increasingly vital role, particularly with the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. A meta-analysis of 20 randomized controlled trials was conducted to test the effectiveness of home telemonitoring (HTM) in patients with type 2 diabetes in reducing A1C, blood pressure, and BMI over a median 180-day study duration. HTM was associated with a significant reduction in A1C by 0.42% (P = 0.0084). Although we found statistically significant changes in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure (−0.10 mmHg [P = 0.0041], and −0.07 mmHg [P = 0.044], respectively), we regard this as clinically nonsignificant in the context of HTM. Comparisons across different methods of transmitting vital signs suggest that patients logging into systems with moderate interaction with the technology platform had significantly higher reductions in A1C than those using fully automatic transmission methods or fully manual uploading methods. A1C did not vary significantly by study duration (from 84 days to 5 years). HTM has the potential to provide patients and their providers with timely, up-to-date information while simultaneously improving A1C.

Validation and usability of AIDMED - telemedical system for cardiological and pulmonary diseases

Aim: The aim of this paper is to present the results of the validation of AIDMED as a telemedical system, i.e. its capability in faithful registration of biomedical signals, its acquisition in a telemedical scenario and its representation in online application. Usability of sucha tool for a dedicated population was also assessed.Methods: We describe and discuss functionalities provided by AIDMED. We perform a series of experiments where we measure biological signals with AIDMED and with a reference device. We provide statistical analysis of experiments. We also compare the functionality of AIDMED with other similar solutions. We discuss the usability of AIDMED in tele observation of COVID-19 patients.Results: We show diagnostic equivalence of AIDMED device and reference devices.Moreover, we indicate advantages of AIDMED system (as task management and patient’s feedback via mobile app) for at home telemonitoring in comparison to standard of care.Conclusions: AIDMED system provides an integrated platform which enables observation of COVID-19, cardiological and pulmonary patients and many more. Thus, an opportunity for both better quality of care and better subjective patient satisfaction with use of AIDMED has got a solid foundation.

Long-term telemetric intracranial pressure monitoring for diagnosis and therapy optimisation of idiopathic intracranial hypertension

Background Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a disease which is difficult to diagnose and moreover difficult to treat. We developed a strategy for long-term telemonitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP), by incorporation of the NEUROVENT®-P-tel System, with the goal of improved diagnosis and consequent therapy of this disease. We highlight the results obtained through this approach. Methods Twenty patients with suspected IIH who were treated in our hospital from August 2014 to October 2020 (16 females, 4 males, median age 36,6 years), were assigned to one of two ICP monitoring settings, “Home-Telemonitoring” (n = 12) and “Home-Monitoring” (n = 8). The ICP data were analysed and used conjointly with the accompanying clinical picture for establishment of IIH diagnosis, and telemonitoring was resumed for therapy optimisation of confirmed cases. Results The diagnosis of IIH was confirmed in 18 of the 20 patients. Various surgical/interventional treatments were applied to the confirmed cases, including ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting (n = 15), stenting of the transvers venous sinus (n = 1), endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) (n = 1), and ETV in combination with endoscopic laser-based coagulation of the choroid Plexus (n = 1). Optimal adjustment of the implanted shunt valves was achieved with an average valve opening pressure of 6,3 ± 2,17 cm H2O for differential valves, and of 29,8 ± 3,94 cm H2O for gravitational valves. The Home-Telemonitoring setting reduced consequent outpatient visits, compared to the Home-Monitoring setting, with an average of 3,1 visits and 4,3 visits, respectively. No complications were associated with the surgical implantation of the P-tel catheter. Conclusion This study offers insight into the use of long-term ICP monitoring for management of IIH patients in combination with dual-valve VP shunts. The use of NEUROVENT® P-tel system and potentially other similar fully implantable ICP-monitoring devices, albeit invasive, may be justified in this complex disease. The data suggest recommending an initial adjustment of dual-valve VP-shunts of 30 and 6 cm H2O, for gravitational and differential valves, respectively. Further research is warranted to explore potential integration of this concept in IIH management guidelines.

Implementation and use of mHealth home telemonitoring in adults with acute COVID-19 infection: a scoping review protocol

IntroductionmHealth refers to digital technologies that, via smartphones, mobile apps and specialised digital sensors, yield real-time assessments of patient’s health status. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, these technologies enable remote patient monitoring, with the benefit of timely recognition of disease progression to convalescence, deterioration or postacute sequelae. This should enable appropriate medical interventions and facilitate recovery. Various barriers, both at patient and technology levels, have been reported, hindering implementation and use of mHealth telemonitoring. As systematised and synthesised evidence in this area is lacking, we developed this protocol for a scoping review on mHealth home telemonitoring of acute COVID-19.Methods and analysisWe compiled a search strategy following the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome) and PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses recommendation for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. MEDLINE, Embase and Web of Science will be searched from 1 March 2020 to 31 August 2021. Following the title and abstract screening, we will identify, systematise and synthesise the available knowledge. Based on pilot searches, we preview three themes for descriptive evidence synthesis. The first theme relates to implementation and use of mHealth telemonitoring, including reported barriers. The second theme covers the interactions of the telemonitoring team within and between different levels of the healthcare system. The third theme addresses how this telemonitoring warrants the continuity of care, also during disease transition into deterioration or postacute sequelae.Ethics and disseminationThe studied evidence is in the public domain, therefore, no specific ethics approval is required. Evidence dissemination will be via peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and reports to the policy makers.

Home telemonitoring in heart failure patients and the effect of study design on outcome: A literature review

Introduction A wide range of study designs have been utilized in evaluations of home telemonitoring and these studies have produced conflicting outcomes over the years. While some of the research has shown that telemonitoring is beneficial in reducing all-cause mortality, hospital admission, length of stay in hospital and emergency room visits, other studies have not shown such benefits. This study, therefore, aims to examine several home telemonitoring study designs and the influence of study design on study outcomes. Method Articles were obtained by searching PubMed database with the term heart failure combined with the following terms: telemonitoring, telehealth, home monitoring, and remote monitoring. Searches were limited to randomized controlled trial conducted between year January 1, 2000 and February 6, 2021. The characteristics of the study designs and study outcomes were extracted and analyzed. Result Our review of 34 randomized controlled trials of heart failure telemonitoring did not show any significant influence of study design on reduction in number of hospitalizations and/or decrease in mortality. Studies that were done outside North America (USA and Canada) and studies that selected patients at high risk of re-hospitalization were more likely to result in decreased hospitalization and/or mortality, though this was not statistically significant. All the studies that met our inclusion criteria were from high-income countries and only one study enrolled patients at high risk of re-hospitalization. Conclusion There is a need for more studies to understand why telemonitoring studies in Europe were more likely to reduce hospital admission and mortality compared to those in North America. There is also a need for more studies on the effect of telemonitoring in patients at high risk of hospital readmission.

Cost-effectiveness of a home telemonitoring system and a diagnostic algorithm in the management of heart failure in the Netherlands (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Heart failure (HF) is a major health concern associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and reduced quality of life for patients. Home telemonitoring (HTM) facilitates frequent or continuous assessment of disease signs and symptoms, while it has been shown to improve compliance by involving patients in their own care and to 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 happening and utilise this output for prioritising patients with regards to their treatment. OBJECTIVE Assessing the cost-effectiveness of HTM and a DA in the management of heart failure in the Netherlands. Three interventions were analysed: usual care (UC), HTM, and HTM+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+DA extendedly dominates HTM and it has a deterministic incremental cost-effectiveness ratio versus UC of €27,712 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY). The model showed robustness in the sensitivity and scenario analyses. HTM+DA had a 96.0% probability of being cost-effective at a €80,000/QALY threshold. An optimal point for the threshold value for the alarm of the DA in terms of its cost-effectiveness was estimated. NYHA class IV patients were the subgroup with the worst cost-effectiveness results versus UC, while HTM+DA was found to be the most cost-effective for patients <65 years-old and for patients in NYHA class I. CONCLUSIONS Although increased costs of adopting HTM and DA in the management of HF 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 hospitalisation rate by 23% when compared to UC, the use of these technologies may be seen as an investment, as HTM+DA extendedly dominates HTM and is cost-effective versus UC at normally accepted thresholds in the Netherlands.

A Constructive Fuzzy Representation Model for Heart Data Classification

The early detection of Heart Disease (HD) and the prediction of Heart Failure (HF) via telemonitoring and can contribute to the reduction of patients’ mortality and morbidity as well as to the reduction of respective treatment costs. In this study we propose a novel classification model based on fuzzy logic applied in the context of HD detection and HF prediction. The proposed model considers that data can be represented by fuzzy phrases constructed from fuzzy words, which are fuzzy sets derived from data. Advantages of this approach include the robustness of data classification, as well as an intuitive way for feature selection. The accuracy of the proposed model is investigated on real home telemonitoring data and a publicly available dataset from UCI.

Domains and methods used to assess home telemonitoring scalability: A systematic review (Preprint)

BACKGROUND COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed the adoption of home telemonitoring to cope with social distance challenges. However, policy-makers and practitioners did not have enough information to decide which pilot intervention they should disseminate into mainstream care delivery. OBJECTIVE This review aims to identify the domains and methods used in peer-reviewed studies under real-life conditions for evaluating home telemonitoring-based interventions’ scalability. METHODS The authors followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines and used multiple databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EconLite). Lastly, the authors conducted a narrative analysis to identify domains and methods to support scalability assessment. RESULTS The authors identified 13 articles focused on the ability to expand a home telemonitoring intervention. While most of the studies considered the problem, intervention, effectiveness, costs, and benefits of the intervention delivery as relevant domains for scalability assessment, studies did not always consider domains such as socio-political context, setting, workforce, and technological infrastructure. Researchers used different methods to assess effectiveness, costs, benefits, and acceptability. Although cost-effectiveness was the most common method, researchers evaluated the costing domain using seven cost analysis methods. CONCLUSIONS The review suggests that researchers select the same domains when assessing scalability, to the detriment of others also relevant. Additionally, studies use different methods to evaluate the same domain, which makes comparison difficult. Future work should examine the minimum required domains and suggest methods that would enable comparison among studies and provide better support for decision-making on whether to scale-up them.