Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 May-Jun;31(3):E10-22.
doi: 10.1097/JCN.0000000000000305.

A Systematic Review of mHealth-Based Heart Failure Interventions

Maan Isabella Cajita  1 , Kelly T Gleason, Hae-Ra Han
Affiliations

A Systematic Review of mHealth-Based Heart Failure Interventions

Maan Isabella Cajita et al. J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2016 May-Jun.

Abstract

Background: The popularity of mobile phones and similar mobile devices makes it an ideal medium for delivering interventions. This is especially true with heart failure (HF) interventions, in which mHealth-based HF interventions are rapidly replacing their telephone-based predecessors.

Purpose: This systematic review examined the impact of mHealth-based HF management interventions on HF outcomes. The specific aims of the systematic review are to (1) describe current mHealth-based HF interventions and (2) discuss the impact of these interventions on HF outcomes.

Methods: PubMed, CINAHL Plus, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Scopus were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental studies that tested mHealth interventions in people with HF using the terms Heart Failure, Mobile Health, mHealth, Telemedicine, Text Messaging, Texting, Short Message Service, Mobile Applications, and Mobile Apps.

Conclusions: Ten articles, representing 9 studies, were included in this review. The majority of the studies utilized mobile health technology as part of an HF monitoring system, which typically included a blood pressure-measuring device, weighing scale, and an electrocardiogram recorder. The impact of the mHealth interventions on all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, HF-related hospitalizations, length of stay, New York Heart Association functional class, left ventricular ejection fraction, quality of life, and self-care were inconsistent at best.

Implications: Further research is needed to conclusively determine the impact of mHealth interventions on HF outcomes. The limitations of the current studies (eg, inadequate sample size, quasi-experimental design, use of older mobile phone models, etc) should be taken into account when designing future studies.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: none declared

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diagram of search and retrieval process. HF indicates heart failure
Figure 2
Figure 2
Risk of Bias Assessment
Figure 3
Figure 3
Risk of Bias Assessment Summary
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Go AS, Mozaffarian D, Roger VL, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics--2014 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2014;129(3):e28–e292. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.0000441139.02102.80. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Heidenreich PA, Albert NM, Allen LA, et al. Forecasting the impact of heart failure in the United States: a policy statement from the American Heart Association. Circ Heart Fail. 2013;6(3):606–19. doi: 10.1161/HHF.0b013e318291329a. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. WHO. Telemedicine: Opportunities and developments in Member States. Geneva: 2009. - DOI
    1. Zundel KM. Telemedicine: history, applications, and impact on librarianship. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1996;84(1):71–79. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Louis AA, Turner T, Gretton M, Baksh A, Cleland J. A systematic review of telemonitoring for the management of heart failure. Eur J Heart Fail. 2003;5:583–590. doi: 10.1016/S1388-9842. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources