Here are some basic facts about Heart Failure in the UK. 
There are currently 1 million patients affected by heart failure in the uk. There are 450k admissions of heart failure sufferers into hospital each year, with 65k of these patients in a first diagnostic position. The average (Median) age of admitted patients is 79 years old and there is a high rate of recurrence in this cohort of patients.
The use of Telehealth with Heart Failure Patients
There are some significant reasons why the use of telecare in the care of Heart Failure patients should increase:
- The number of heart failure patients is increasing
- There are fewer professionals to provide health care
- More monitoring of patients may be required.
- There is a need to Reduce costs to the NHS.
- The environmental agenda to reduce travelling and reduce CO2 admissions
- Telehealth generally leads to better (and automated) record keeping
Why can TeleHealth can work for the care of Heart Failure patients?:
- Patients With chronic illness learn routines.
- Most patients are keen to improve their health, leading to more responsibility for their own health
- There is a need to invest in patients, they could be seen as part of the ‘workforce’
With Telehealth equipment evidence suggests that you can:
- Reduce admission into Hospital
- Reduce duration of a patients stay in hospital as it’s possible to Improve Discharge planning with telecare
- Improve mortality rates
- Improve the overall patient experience.
- Reduce cost of care
- Manage a patient’s health from their own home rather than from hospital,
- Know the right time to send the right patient to hospital.
- Provide patient reassurance.
There have been trials of telehealth equipment and these suggest that:
- There was a deduction in mortality of absolute 16.4% or relative 36%
- There was No reduction in hospitalisation rates but a decrease in the length of stay
- Only 3.3% of patients ask for equipment to be removed
- Telehealth supports clinical input.
- With Structured Telephone support
- Mortality Improved by just .88%
- All cause hospitalisation improved by just .77%
- With Home telemonitoring systems
- 34% improvement in mortality rates
- 10% improvement all cause hospitalisation rates
- 227k investment led to 87k net saving
There is a need to use caution of some stats as “Health generally improves when focused on”.