Digital consultations improve the rate of optimal care for patients suffering from heart failure

Patients with heart failure, a condition that affects more than 60 million people worldwide, are four times more likely to receive the optimal combination of medications after 12 weeks of digital consultations. Researchers from five Dutch hospitals, coordinated by Amsterdam UMC, found that using digital consultations improved care while maintaining patient satisfaction. The results are published today in Natural medicine and presented simultaneously at the annual conference of the European Society of Cardiology.

“During the COVID pandemic, almost all of our patients suddenly switched to digital consultation and, to be honest, it worked well, but there were also concerns. These concerns gave us the idea for this study,” says Mark Schuuring, former cardiologist at Amsterdam UMC and now cardiologist at Medical Spectrum Twente.

“Our program measures the quality of care by comparing the doctor’s approach during the digital consultation with current guidelines. We have studied the exchange of digital data between patients and doctors and provided them with more information. The program encourages doctors and nurses to provide care that comes as close as possible to international guidelines. The business world uses such programs extensively, but they are not yet commonplace in the care sector,” adds Schuuring.

The researchers divided 150 patients into two groups. One followed the digital consultation strategy and the other the traditional care pathway. After 12 weeks, the researchers then measured how many patients had reached the optimal combination of medications. Ultimately, 28% of patients who participated in the digital consultation received the optimal combination, compared to only 7% of those who received the traditional care pathway.

“Ultimately, we found that this approach is superior to how we currently organize care and that is demonstrated by the data,” Schuuring says.

The researchers also analyzed many of the concerns often raised around the use of digital consultations and found no difference in time invested, satisfaction levels or, importantly, patient quality of life.

“This study shows that digital consultations are truly a win-win situation, that patient care has been improved and their experience has not been diminished in any way. We believe this could work well beyond heart failure. This is an urgent need, as the increase in patient numbers is outpacing the growth in staff numbers,” concludes Schuuring.