Patient quality of life and satisfaction with home telemonitoring were similar or better than with usual care .
We conducted a systematic review of the literature about home telemonitoring compared with usual care .
Comparison of Health Buddy® with Traditional Approaches to Heart Failure Management
The purpose of this pilot study was to ( a ) determine the feasibility of providing a heart failure disease management program through an in-home telehealth communication device ( Health Buddy ® ) and ( b ) compare the effectiveness of the Health Buddy ® with traditional home management strategies ( telephonic , home visit ) in achieving selected patient outcomes ( self-efficacy , functional status , depression , and health-related quality of life ) . Ninety participants completed the study through 2 months . Thirty percent of participants were either eliminated prior to or withdrawn after enrollment from the study based on Health Buddy ® issues . A mixed model ANOVA revealed those who received telephonic disease management experienced decreased confidence in their ability to manage their heart failure whereas all other groups experienced increased confidence . Further ANOVA analyses indicated improvement over time with no group differences for functional status , depression , or health-related quality of life . These findings suggest that delivering a disease management program through a telehealth communication device is feasible and may be as effective as traditional methods
Patient quality of life and satisfaction with home telemonitoring were similar or better than with usual care .
We conducted a systematic review of the literature about home telemonitoring compared with usual care .