Telemonitoring for seniors with chronic heart failure: Patient self-care, empowerment, and adoption factors

Abstract

Telemonitoring (TM) represents a promising technology for the management of chronic diseases. It is of particular relevance to senior patients with heart failure (HF) condition. This study employs a longitudinal design, and involves three surveys of elderly HF patients (n=23) administered one week, three months, and six months after system adoption. The main constructs were assessed based on existing validated scales. The results show that senior patients perceived value in using TM, did not expect the technology to be difficult to use, and did not encounter barriers to adoption. The analysis of impacts on self-care revealed significant positive effects of TM on the confidence of senior patients in their self-care ability to evaluate their symptoms, address them, and evaluate the effectiveness of the measures they take. Significant positive effects were also observed on two measures of treatment implementation. TM may be leveraged to improve senior patients' self-care skills, which will benefit their health condition.