title: Remote Monitoring of Patients With Heart Failure: An Overview of Systematic Reviews.
abstract: Many systematic reviews exist on the use of remote patient monitoring (RPM) interventions to improve clinical outcomes and psychological well-being of patients with heart failure. However, research is broadly distributed from simple telephone-based to complex technology-based interventions. The scope and focus of such evidence also vary widely, creating challenges for clinicians who seek information on the effect of RPM interventions.
  
  
  
  The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of RPM interventions on the health outcomes of patients with heart failure by synthesizing review-level evidence.
  
  
  
  We searched PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and the Cochrane Library from 2005 to 2015. We screened reviews based on relevance to RPM interventions using criteria developed for this overview. Independent authors screened, selected, and extracted information from systematic reviews. AMSTAR (Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews) was used to assess the methodological quality of individual reviews. We used standardized language to summarize results across reviews and to provide final statements about intervention effectiveness.
  
  
  
  A total of 19 systematic reviews met our inclusion criteria. Reviews consisted of RPM with diverse interventions such as telemonitoring, home telehealth, mobile phone-based monitoring, and videoconferencing. All-cause mortality and heart failure mortality were the most frequently reported outcomes, but others such as quality of life, rehospitalization, emergency department visits, and length of stay were also reported. Self-care and knowledge were less commonly identified.
  
  
  
  Telemonitoring and home telehealth appear generally effective in reducing heart failure rehospitalization and mortality. Other interventions, including the use of mobile phone-based monitoring and videoconferencing, require further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Australian eHealth Research Centre, CSIRO, Brisbane, Australia.|School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Nazli
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4243-2771
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bashi
authors.affiliation: Australian eHealth Research Centre, CSIRO, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Mohanraj
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9141-932X
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karunanithi
authors.affiliation: Australian eHealth Research Centre, CSIRO, Brisbane, Australia.|Centre for Online Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.|School of Allied Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic Of Iran.
authors.forename: Farhad
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9888-1966
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fatehi
authors.affiliation: Australian eHealth Research Centre, CSIRO, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Hang
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0513-2876
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.|Department of Cardiology, Queensland Health, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Darren
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5516-6425
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Walters
mesh_terms: D040421:Cell Phone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011788:Quality of Life; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: heart failure; mobile phone; patient monitoring; systematic review; telemedicine