Telemonitoring in patients with heart failure-lessons from recent randomised multicentre trials

Abstract

Home telemonitoring (TLM) has been proposed as an effective tool to reduce cardiac events in patients with chronic heart failure (HF). In contrast to older and more recent meta-analyses, large randomised multicentre trials have failed to demonstrate any positive effect of TLM on HF rehospitalisation and all-cause mortality. However, these negative results do not preclude the potential role of TLM as an effective system for managing patients with HF. In this article, possible explanations for these negative results are presented and discussed, and a new model of TLM, with investments in technology but above all in personnel and organisation, is suggested. © Touch Briefings 2012.