Experiences of Complex Patients With Telemonitoring in a Nurse-Led Model of Care: Multimethod Feasibility Study.
Kayleigh Gordon, Katie N Dainty, Carolyn Steele Gray and 4 others
PMID 34406972WHAT IT FOUND
17 of 26 patients with complex chronic conditions completed 6 months of nurse-led telemonitoring, and participants said it was helpful.
This is feasibility, not proof of better health.
Key findings
0117 of 26 participants used the telemonitoring system for the full 6 months.
02Heart failure readings were taken on 77.2% of expected days on average, while full readings with symptom questions were taken on 69.0% of days.
03Participants described telemonitoring as useful because it connected readings to the nurse-led team, and many wanted to continue after the study.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was a feasibility study and did not test health outcomes. Only 17 of 26 participants completed 6 months, and 8 were removed for relocation, rehabilitation, language barrier, touchscreen problems, or death. Only a small number of participants monitored hypertension or diabetes exclusively. The poststudy questionnaire response was 10 of 17, so SF-36 health status data were not meaningful. Adherence may have been affected by phone battery problems, delayed shipping, Bluetooth issues, and legitimate absences that were not automatically excluded. Patients were followed only for 6 months, so long-term adherence and optimal duration were unknown. Participants were recruited from one nurse-led clinic by convenience sampling, so the group may not represent all complex patients.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest declared. The telemonitoring system was developed by researchers at the University Health Network.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the high adherence and positive patient reports as proof that telemonitoring improves health outcomes or reduces hospital use. This was a small feasibility study without clinical outcome testing.