Feasibility Study: Video-based Telemedicine Program In Management For Patients With Chronic Heart Failure

Background: Heart failure(HF)is associated with high morbidity,mortality and healthcare expenditures.Unplanned readmissions also have a heavy financial burden on nationalities.Thus,it is imperative that we need to redesign management plans to improve continuous care for HF after discharge,reducing readmission.Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of telemedicine program combined with video in management for HF patients.Methods: This is a prospective study.58 HF patients to participate in the video-based telemedicine program(VTP)(2015.03.01-2015.05.31)were recruited.All Participants used our proprietary video software to schedule a video visit every month and were asked to return to the clinics every 3 months.During the study,the medical history,symptoms,physical examination,and laboratory tests of participants were collected.At the end of the study,patients' participation in follow-up program and lifestyle changes were evaluated.Results: Among 58 enrolled patients,55(94.8%)patients completed the study,with a mean age of 64.4 years.During the entire follow-up period,a total of 299 follow-up medical records were generated,including 175 video follow-up medical records and 124 outpatient follow-up medical records.The results showed that the enthusiasm of outpatient follow-ups diminished because of the farther distance from home adds to the hospitals.VTP seemed to be more suitable for patients in remote areas(p=0.001).Moreover,patients with poorer cardiac function had a preference in follow-ups(p=0.001).There was no obvious difference in the average frequency of video calls between participants with different ages(p=0.787)and educational levels(p=0.890).At the end of the study,the patients' overall lifestyle improved significantly,including adhering to standardized eating habits,adhering to daily exercise,adhering to doctor's advice,etc.Patient medication compliance was significantly improved,p = 0.001 < 0.05.Conclusions: VTP could be feasible for HF patients.Telemedicine programs combined with video technology may have the potential properties in improving the health lifestyle and medication compliance.