JMIR Cardio

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Heart failure (HF) is a complex syndrome associated with high morbidity and mortality and increased healthcare utilisation. Patient education is key to improving health outcomes, achieved by promoting self-management to optimise medical management. Newer digital tools like text messaging and smartphone applications provide novel patient education approaches.

Valvular heart disease (VHD) is a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality that poses a substantial health care and economic burden on health care systems. Administrative diagnostic codes for ascertaining VHD diagnosis are incomplete.

The majority of Black women with hypertension in the United States have smartphones or tablets and use social media, and many use wearable activity trackers and health or wellness apps, digital tools that can be used to support lifestyle changes and medication adherence.

For a decade, despite results from many studies, telemedicine systems have suffered from a lack of recommendations for chronic heart failure (CHF) care because of variable study results. Another limitation is the hospital-based architecture of most telemedicine systems. Some systems use an algorithm based on daily weight, transcutaneous oxygen measurement, and heart rate to detect and treat acute heart failure (AHF) in patients with CHF as early on as possible.

Heart failure (HF) is a burdensome condition and a leading cause of 30-day hospital readmissions in the United States. Clinical and social factors are key drivers of hospitalization. These 2 strategies, digital platforms and home-based social needs care, have shown preliminary effectiveness in improving adherence to clinical care plans and reducing acute care use in HF. Few studies, if any, have tested combining these 2 strategies in a single intervention.

The key to reducing the immense morbidity and mortality burdens of cardiovascular diseases is to help people keep their blood pressure (BP) at safe levels. This requires that more people with hypertension be identified, diagnosed, and given tools to lower their BP. BP monitors are critical to hypertension diagnosis and management. However, there are characteristics of conventional BP monitors (oscillometric cuff sphygmomanometers) that hinder rapid and effective hypertension diagnosis and management. Calibration-free, software-only BP monitors that operate on ubiquitous mobile devices can enable on-demand BP monitoring, overcoming the hardware barriers of conventional BP monitors.

Although telemedicine has been proven to have significant potential for improving care for patients with cardiac problems, there remains a substantial risk of introducing disparities linked to the use of digital technology, especially for older or socially vulnerable subgroups.

Patients with heart failure (HF) are the most commonly readmitted group of adult patients in Germany. Most patients with HF are readmitted for noncardiovascular reasons. Understanding the relevance of HF management outside the hospital setting is critical to understanding HF and factors that lead to readmission. Application of machine learning (ML) on data from statutory health insurance (SHI) allows the evaluation of large longitudinal data sets representative of the general population to support clinical decision-making.

Heart failure (HF) contributes greatly to morbidity, mortality, and health care costs worldwide. Hospital readmission rates are tracked closely and determine federal reimbursement dollars. No current modality or technology allows for accurate measurement of relevant HF parameters in ambulatory, rural, or underserved settings. This limits the use of telehealth to diagnose or monitor HF in ambulatory patients.

Behavior change support systems (BCSSs) have the potential to help people maintain healthy lifestyles and aid in the self-management of coronary heart disease (CHD). The Persuasive Systems Design (PSD) model is a framework for designing and evaluating systems designed to support lifestyle modifications and health behavior change using information and communication technology. However, evidence for the underlying design principles behind BCSSs for CHD has not been extensively reported in the literature.

Home blood pressure (BP) monitoring with lifestyle coaching is effective in managing hypertension and reducing cardiovascular risk. However, traditional manual lifestyle coaching models significantly limit availability due to high operating costs and personnel requirements. Furthermore, the lack of patient lifestyle monitoring and clinician time constraints can prevent personalized coaching on lifestyle modifications.