Baltic Heart Study – As International Activities in Telemedicine and Teleeducation of Patients With Chronic Heart Failure / Giedrius Vanagas

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CHF patients do not successfully manage their disease; thus, rehospitalisation and high mortality rates prevail. Intensive tele-education programs, and home health monitoring can help reduce hospitalizations and mortality rates. The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that standard care supplemented with telemedicine and distance learning applications in patients with NYHA II-III chronic heart failure is superior to the only standard care model after hospital discharge. This study designed as a prospective, non randomized concurrent control, multi-center design study. Study involves patients who have had diagnosed CHF (II-III NYHA). The telemedicine set includes a telemetric scale and telemetric blood pressure monitor with possibility to transmit clinical data to the telemedicine center via sms and phone line. With this study it is expected to evaluate the feasibility of telemedicine and distance learning applications for CHF patients after hospital discharge. Also to evaluate the efficacy of telemedicine and distance learning applications on mortality, morbidity, symptoms and quality of life compared to standard care and to evaluate safety and patient satisfaction on selected telemedicine and distance learning applications used for patient home care model.1. Introduction. Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a major public health problem characterized by significant mortality, frequent hospitalization, and poor quality of life, with an overall prevalence that is increasing throughout the world. Unfortunately, many CHF patients do not successfully manage their disease; thus, rehospitalisation and high mortality rates prevail. Frequent communication between the patient and health care professionals, intensive education programs, and home health monitoring can help reduce hospitalizations and mortality rates. Despite the dismal prognosis, there are several examples of CHF patients living beyond the years normally

expected. These successes are usually attributed to patients taking an active role in disease management, facilitated by appropriate diet, 1. Introduction. exercise, daily self-measurement (e.g., weight scales and blood pressure devices), medication compliance, smoking and other behaviour control, education, recognition of disease-related symptoms (1;3).Basic technological solutions for better integration of medical professionals and patients in health care processes are available in many cases (2;4). However the deployment of information and communication technologies in the regional health systems has been severely lagging behind compared to other sectors of European economies. Although there are many reasons to cooperate transnationally in health care, the use of eHealth is not very exploited yet.