EFFECTIVENESS OF TELEPHONE MONITORING OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEART FAILURE BY NURSES

Highlights The management of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), with its high mortality and hospitalization rates, is a pressing issue. Active patient monitoring through telephone visits conducted by medical personnel has proven effective in managing the risk of adverse events in this patient population.   Aim . To evaluate the effectiveness of remote patronage by nurses (brothers) of patients with CHF using telephone “visits”. Methods . 108 patients were included: group 1 – active control using telephone “visits”, group 2 – traditional follow-up. Telephone “visits” were conducted weekly for 1 month after inclusion in the study, then once a month for the next 5 months. After 1 year, the patient's status was assessed: “alive/dead”, the number of requests for medical help due to decompensation of heart failure. Results . During the 6 months of follow–up, the following were registered: in the active control group – 10 emergency medical team calls, 5 hospitalizations, 25 outpatient visits to a cardiologist, there were no deaths; in the traditional follow-up group – 18 NSR team calls, 16 hospitalizations, 29 outpatient visits to a cardiologist. The proportion of patients taking 4-component therapy increased: in the active control group – up to 74.1%, in the traditional follow–up group – up to 22.2% (p < 0.0001). The proportion of patients taking 3 or more drugs in the active control group was more than 90%, in the traditional follow–up group – 46.3% (p < 0.0001). After 1 year, there were 3 deaths in the active control group and 5 deaths in the traditional follow–up group. Calls to the NSR team were 12 and 17, episodes of hospitalization were 10 and 19, outpatient visits to a cardiologist were 13 and 19 (in the active control and traditional follow–up group, respectively). A decrease in the proportion of patients taking 4-component therapy: in the active control group – from 74.1% to 27.8%, in the traditional follow-up group – from 29.6% to 16.7%. Conclusion . Telephone “visits” have a high potential in managing the risks of adverse events in patients with CHF.