Project Lead: Michal Stanak
Authors: Michal Stanak, Michaela Riegelnegg
Publication: October 2025
Language: English (with German summary)
Telemonitoring for heart failure (HF) captures patient data such as body weight, blood pressure, and heart rate via mobile applications to complement nurse-led disease management programmes (DMPs). In Austria, DMPs for HF patients are already in use, with telemonitoring implemented differently across regions. The aim was to systematically assess the efficacy and safety of non-invasive telemonitoring in addition to DMPs compared to DMPs without telemonitoring in HF patients post-hospital discharge, and to develop an evaluation concept for digital health technologies (DHTs) in Austrian DMPs. A systematic literature search in four databases (1,351 hits) identified three randomised controlled trials (2007–2015) with a total of 527 patients (approximately 189 HF patients in telemonitoring + DMP groups, certainty of evidence: predominantly moderate). Regarding efficacy, one study reported a statistically significant reduction in HF-related rehospitalisation, and another study reported a statistically significant improvement in quality of life (MLWHFQ). All three studies found no significant differences for all-cause mortality and all-cause rehospitalisation. No safety data were reported. For Austrian DHTs in DMPs, an evaluation concept was developed based on the ASSESS-DHT Manual, amongst others, recommending controlled trials (e.g., cluster RCT) with primary endpoints of HF mortality and quality of life. The available evidence has limitations: lack of statistical precision, lack of cost-effectiveness data, and small sample sizes.