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A pilot study reduced readmissions by 68% of patients with heart failure

Preliminary results of a study carried out by professionals of the Cardiology Service of the University Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, in collaboration with Philips Healthcare, show that the application of telemedicine into the everyday life of people with chronic heart failure decreases by nearly 70% the time that these patients need to be hospitalized. Through an interactive platform based on the transmission of broadband data between home and hospital patients, researchers have found not only the reduction of income and therefore improved efficiency but also demonstrate that patients have more quality of life.

9 March 2010


Patient looking at the instructions of a professional
through a television. Foto: Philips
The project, part of an agreement signed in 2006 by the Catalan Health Institute t (ICS) and Philips, named CARME (Catalan Remote Management Evaluation) uses the telemedicine system Motiva. This system includes a device located in the patient's home, and is connected  to the  TV, with a specific apparatus for measuring weight, pulse and blood pressure, and also with the computer network of the Heart Failure Unit a of the Germans Trias. This allows cardiologists at the hospital to receive weight data every day, pulse and pressure that the patient measures himself at home, send alerts via the TV if they detect problems or failures, or if they want to make changes in the patient’s diet or medication, and submit videos with educational material or experiences of other patients.

In the study, which received an initial stage of implementation of the technology, 92 patients participated with chronic heart failure treated at the Germans Trias, with whom the researchers have communicated daily over a year through telemedicine. And one of the most highlighted findings was that the income of these people has been reduced to 68% comparing with the year of study with the previous year. This is a particularly relevant fact, given that the Heart Failure Unit of the Germans Trias had already greatly reduced hospitalizations since its inception in 2001. In regard to the total number of days of hospitalization registered the year of research in comparison with the previous year, the numbers denote a drop of 73%.

Another result that the researchers point out is improving the perception that patients have had about their life quality during the study. From the 68 patients who completed questionnaires at the end of the research, between 6 and 7 out of 10 perceived an improvement in their life quality. The health staff at the Germans Trias has also shown satisfaction with the possibility of closer monitoring of the patient, allowing early detection of possible decompensations.

The main researcher of this study is Dr. Josep Lupón, head of the Heart Failure Unit of Germans Trias. From the ABS Sant Roc, Dr. Mar Domingo has been responsible for the field work that has shaped her doctoral thesis. Nurses of the hospital have also participated in the study: Beatriz Gonzalez, Eva Crespo, Raul Lopez and Ana Ramos, as well as the project manager of Philips Healthcare, Mr. Joan Valenzuela.

Based on the results from this pilot study, the ICS will develop a regional model for monitoring heart failure patients through home support, integrating the hospital and primary care. To launch it, a working team to assess various existing experiences in the organization to offer a model of comprehensive and personalized care has been created. One of these experiences, which has already proved its success in other territories, is the telephone assistance once the user has been discharged.





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