Current situation of telemedicine research for cardiovascular risk in Japan

Abstract

Hypertension continues to be a principal risk factor for the occurrence of cardiovascular disorders, stroke, and kidney diseases. Although more than 40 million subjects suffer from hypertension in Japan, its optimal control is achieved only a subpopulation of patients, highlighting the need for novel approaches to manage this disorder. Toward the better control of blood pressure, the Japanese Society of Hypertension has developed the Future Plan, in which the application of the state-of-art information and communication technology, including web-based resources, artificial intelligence, and big data analysis, is considered as one of the promising solutions. In fact, the rapid advance of digital health technologies, as well as ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, has triggered the structural changes in the healthcare system globally, increasing demand for the remote delivery of the medical services. Nonetheless, it is not entirely clear what evidence exists that support the widespread use of telemedicine in Japan. Here, we summarize the current status of telemedicine research, particularly in the field of hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors. We note that there have been very few interventional studies in Japan that clearly showed the superiority or noninferiority of telemedicine over standard care, and that the methods of online consultation considerably varied among studies. Clearly, more evidence is necessary for wide implementation of telemedicine in hypertensive patients in Japan, and also those with other cardiovascular risk factors.

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“…Patients can meet with a pharmacist or healthcare provider through video conferencing technology to discuss their medications and receive advice on how to manage their symptoms. This can improve medication adherence and reduce the risk of adverse drug events [162].…”

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“…For others, physical contact with their healthcare provider, direct eye contact, and an in-person smile are essential components of their care. Telemedicine interventions have seen web-based consultations (Musa Mamman et al 2022;Shibata and Hoshide 2023), telemonitoring (Fountoulakis et al 2015;Lee et al 2020;Ayoub et al 2022), remote consultations (Shea et al 2006;Sood et al 2017;Lo et al 2023), and Internet-based consultations (Lu et al 2020;Cunha et al 2023). Among the professionals involved in telemedicine physicians (Shea et al 2006;Fountoulakis et al 2015;Lee et al 2020;Garavand et al 2022), nurses (Shea et al 2006;Isidori et al 2022;Plunger et al 2022), pharmacists (Lu et al 2020;Howard et al 2022;Li et al 2022) and multidisciplinary teams (Sood et al 2017;Caponnetto et al 2021) are all mentioned.…”