Non-invasive telemonitoring and quality of life in heart failure: part two—a qualitative systematic review

Abstract

Heart failure is a major public health concern, with patients experiencing a high symptomatic burden and functional limitations, with repercussions for their mental and psychosocial wellbeing. Non-invasive telemonitoring has the potential to improve disease management by enabling rapid adjustment of medications, allowing detection of early signs and symptoms of disease deterioration, and promoting self-care behaviours. Part one of this series outlined a mixed-methods systematic review protocol for exploring the impact of telemonitoring on quality of life for patients with heart failure. The present systematic review explores the general experiences of patients with heart failure who had used telemonitoring systems in the community as part of follow up and self-care. Qualitative studies published between 2010 and 2022 were located from Medline (Ovid), CINHAL (Ebsco), Embase (Ovid), APA PsychInfo (Ebsco) and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. A total of 11 qualitative studies involving 212 patients with heart failure were included. Overall, 123 findings were identified and extracted, with 14 categories generated from the aggregation of at least two similar findings. Four synthesised findings were identified regarding patients' experiences with telemonitoring: ease of use, education features, self-care prompts and patient empowerment. Ultimately, personal factors such as functional limitations and comorbidities were not found to prevent patients from engaging with this technology. When incorporated into a daily routine, telemonitoring has the potential to enhance self-care, promote autonomy, improve disease-specific knowledge and empower patients living with heart failure.