Overall , telemedicine was shown to be beneficial , with home-based teletransmission effectively reducing all-cause mortality and HF-related hospital admission , length of stay and mortality in patients with HF
Telemedicine interventions may be associated with reductions in hospital admission rate and mortality in patients with heart failure ( HF ) .
Effect of Nurse-Implemented Transitional Care for Chinese Individuals with Chronic Heart Failure in Hong Kong: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
OBJECTIVES To determine the effect of nurse-implemented transitional care ( TC ) on readmission and mortality rates in Chinese individuals with chronic heart failure ( CHF ) in Hong Kong . DESIGN Single-center r and omized controlled trial of TC versus usual care ( UC ) . SETTING University-affiliated hospital in Hong Kong . PARTICIPANTS Hospitalized Chinese individuals with CHF ( N = 178 ; aged 78.6 ± 6.9 , 45 % male ) . MEASUREMENTS The TC group received a predischarge visit , two home visits , and then regular telephone calls over 9 months to provide self-care education and support , optimized health surveillance , and facilitation in use of community services . Primary endpoints were event-free survival , all-cause hospital readmission , and mortality during the 9-month follow-up . Secondary endpoints were length of hospital stay , self-care , and health-related quality of life ( HRQL ) . Data were analyzed using survival analysis and generalized estimating equations , following an intention-to-treat principle . RESULTS Survival analysis indicated no significant differences in event-free survival , hospital readmission , or mortality between the TC and UC groups , although the TC group had a lower hospital readmission rate at 6 weeks ( 8.1 % vs 16.3 % , P = .048 ) and lower mortality at 9 months ( 4.1 % vs 13.8 % , P = .03 ) . The TC group also had a shorter hospital stay ( P = .006 ) and significantly better self-care and HRQL . Because of attrition , sensitivity analyses were conducted to examine whether the intention-to-treat assumption affected the results . Per- protocol population analyses ( hazard ratio ( HR ) = 0.40 , 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) = 0.17 - 0.93 ) and worst-case-scenario analysis ( HR = 0.44 , 95 % CI = 0.25 - 0.77 ) suggested a lower mortality risk in the TC group . CONCLUSION The translation of individual-centered nurse-implemented TC to the Chinese culture and healthcare context of Hong Kong appears beneficial
Overall , telemedicine was shown to be beneficial , with home-based teletransmission effectively reducing all-cause mortality and HF-related hospital admission , length of stay and mortality in patients with HF
Telemedicine interventions may be associated with reductions in hospital admission rate and mortality in patients with heart failure ( HF ) .