Enhancing Home Monitoring of Patients With Heart Failure: Primary Care Experience With an Autonomous Foot-Measuring Device

Abstract

In recent years, telemonitoring solutions have gained prominence for monitoring patients at home. However, patient and clinician enthusiasm, as well as adherence rates, have been inconsistent. This article presents a primary care evaluation of an autonomous foot-measuring home device, designed to monitor physiological changes in medium to high-risk chronic heart failure patients at risk of decompensation. The Heartfelt device garnered positive reception among the 13 participating patients. Remarkably, in 77% of cases (10 patients), the device captured and transmitted patient data on more than half of the days each month, while only 8% (one patient) managed to provide equivalent daily measurements using weighing scales. These results indicate that the Heartfelt device holds promise as an effective telemonitoring solution for patients who face adherence challenges with traditional telemonitoring systems, and self-management checks more generally. By adopting this technology, healthcare providers may be better equipped to proactively manage chronic heart failure patients and improve overall patient outcomes.