Optimisation of Remote Monitoring Programmes in Heart Failure: Evaluation of Patient Drop-Out Behaviour and Healthcare Professionals’ Perspectives

Abstract

Heart failure (HF) is a growing epidemic, affecting millions of people worldwide, and is a major cause of mortality, morbidity, and impaired quality of life. Traditional cardiac rehabilitation is a valuable approach to the physical and quality-of-life recovery of patients with cardiovascular disease. The innovative approach of remote monitoring through telemedicine offers a solution based on modern technologies, enabling continuous collection of health data outside the hospital environment. Remote monitoring devices present challenges that could adversely affect patient adherence, resulting in the risk of dropout. By applying a cognitive-behavioral model, we aim to identify the antecedents of dropout behavior among patients adhering to traditional cardiac rehabilitation programs and remote monitoring in order to improve the latter. Our study was conducted from October 2023 to January 2024. In the first stage, we used data from literature consultation. Subsequently, data were collected from the direct experience of 49 health workers related to both remote monitoring and traditional treatment, recruited from the authors’ workplace. Results indicate that patients with cardiovascular disease tend to abandon remote monitoring programs more frequently than traditional cardiac rehabilitation therapies. It is critical to design approaches that take these barriers into account to improve adherence and patient satisfaction. This analysis identified specific antecedents to address, helping to improve current monitoring models. This is crucial to promote care continuity and to achieve self-management by patients in the future.