World Heart Federation Roadmap for Digital Health in Cardiology

Abstract

More than 500 million people worldwide live with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Health systems today face fundamental challenges in delivering optimal care due to ageing populations, healthcare workforce constraints, financing, availability and affordability of CVD medicine, and service delivery. Digital health technologies can help address these challenges. They may be a tool to reach Sustainable Development Goal 3.4 and reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by a third by 2030. Yet, a range of fundamental barriers prevents implementation and access to such technologies. Health system governance, health provider, patient and technological factors can prevent or distort their implementation. World Heart Federation (WHF) roadmaps aim to identify essential roadblocks on the pathway to effective prevention, detection, and treatment of CVD. Further, they aim to provide actionable solutions and implementation frameworks for local adaptation. This WHF Roadmap for digital health in cardiology identifies barriers to implementing digital health technologies for CVD and provides recommendations for overcoming them.

The role of digital health in the cardiovascular learning healthcare system

“…However, not all patients will be able to adapt and transition to digital medicine which may at times limit care that deviates from the traditional model of medicine. The World Heart Federation recently released a roadmap to digital health in cardiology ( 54 ). In this document several complications and barriers to digital health implementation are discussed.…”

“…In this document several complications and barriers to digital health implementation are discussed. These include health system, health workforce, patient and technological roadblocks ( 54 ). The organization also offers solutions to these roadblocks focused on regulation, education and investment in the future of digital health.…”

Information Needs and Communication Strategies for People with Coronary Heart Disease: A Scoping Review

“…Effective patient information must be evidence-based, clearly presented and most importantly, involve patients throughout the process of development [32][33][34]. Information materials should succinctly deal with the relevant messages [31], be written in active voice with personalised messages and use simple terminology [14,31,35]. Layout should be clear, simple and consistent [14,35] and use subheadings to allow patients to efficiently sift through the information [17,31].…”

“…Information materials should succinctly deal with the relevant messages [31], be written in active voice with personalised messages and use simple terminology [14,31,35]. Layout should be clear, simple and consistent [14,35] and use subheadings to allow patients to efficiently sift through the information [17,31].…”

“…flipcharts, leaflets and verified websites). The suggested educational content proposed by SPAN closely aligns the evidence based Six Steps to Cardiac Recovery conversation guide (Six steps guide) by the Australian Heart Foundation [35]. The Six steps guide assists health professionals to facilitate information delivery at the patient's bedside.…”