Six-Month Home-Based Telemedicine Program for Heart Failure and Type 2 Diabetes Patients: Applicability, Usability of Telemonitoring Devices and Apps, and Patient Satisfaction
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.1. Intervention
- The provision of support by a nursing case manager is facilitated through the implementation of a structured teleassistance programme, encompassing the delivery of telephone or video consultations on a weekly basis.
- Teleconsultations in the fields of cardiology and diabetes are available at the inception of the programme, and, if required, throughout its duration.
- The provision of assistance to the trainer is intended to encourage the undertaking of daily physical activity.
- The process of telemonitoring encompasses the continuous observation of patient vital signs, such as electrocardiographic traces, as well as the tracking of daily steps.
2.2. Usability and Satisfaction Questionnaires
- Give us a measure of people’s subjective perceptions of a system’s usability and
- Allow us to do so in the very short time available during an evaluation session.
3. Results
4. Discussion
4.1. Limitation
4.2. Future Lines of Research
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
| mHealth | mobile health |
| SUS | System Usability Scale |
| CGM | CompuGroupMedical |
| TreC | web dashboard |
References
- Authors/Task Force Members; McDonagh, T.A.; Metra, M.; Adamo, M.; Gardner, R.S.; Baumbach, A.; Böhm, M.; Burri, H.; Butler, J.; Čelutkienė, J.; et al. 2023 Focused Update of the 2021 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure: Developed by the task force for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) with the special contribution of the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the ESC. Eur. J. Heart Fail. 2024, 26, 5–17. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Marx, N.; Federici, M.; Schütt, K.; Müller-Wieland, D.; Ajjan, R.A.; Antunes, M.J.; Christodorescu, R.M.; Crawford, C.; Di Angelantonio, E.; Eliasson, B.; et al. 2023 ESC Guidelines for the management of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes. Eur. Heart J. 2023, 44, 4043–4140. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Funnell, M.M.; Anderson, R.M. Working toward the next generation of diabetes self-management education. Am. J. Prev. Med. 2002, 22, 3–5. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Soleimani, N.; Ebrahimi, F.; Mirzaei, M. Self-management education for hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia as major risk factors for cardiovascular disease: Insights from stakeholders’ experiences and expectations. PLoS ONE 2024, 19, e0310961. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Sun, B.; Wang, J.; Dong, J.; Qin, L.; Xu, Y.; Tian, B. The Effect of Distance Education on Self-care in Patients with Heart Failure in the Chronic or Stable Phase: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. J. Cardiovasc. Nurs. 2025, 40, 39–54. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Wang, C.; Ba, Y.; Ni, J.; Huang, R.; Du, X. Role of Telemedicine Intervention in the Treatment of Patients with Chronic Heart Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Anatol. J. Cardiol. 2024, 28, 177–186. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Liu, F.; Li, J.; Li, X.; Yang, Z.; Wang, W.; Zhao, L.; Wu, T.; Huang, C.; Xu, Y. Efficacy of telemedicine intervention in the self-management of patients with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Front. Public Health 2024, 12, 1405770. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Scholte, N.T.B.; Gürgöze, M.T.; Aydin, D.; Theuns, D.A.M.J.; Manintveld, O.C.; Ronner, E.; Boersma, E.; de Boer, R.A.; van der Boon, R.M.A.; Brugts, J.J. Telemonitoring for heart failure: A meta-analysis. Eur. Heart J. 2023, 44, 2911–2926. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Miao, Y.; Luo, Y.; Zhao, Y.; Liu, M.; Wang, H.; Wu, Y. Effectiveness of eHealth Interventions in Improving Medication Adherence Among Patients with Cardiovascular Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J. Med. Internet Res. 2024, 26, e58013. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Hangaard, S.; Laursen, S.H.; Andersen, J.D.; Kronborg, T.; Vestergaard, P.; Hejlesen, O.; Udsen, F.W. The Effectiveness of Telemedicine Solutions for the Management of Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression. J. Diabetes Sci. Technol. 2023, 17, 794–825. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Prescher, S.; Winkler, S.; Riehle, L.; Hiddemann, M.; Moeller, V.; Collins, C.; Deckwart, O.; Spethmann, S. Patient reported experience and adherence to remote patient management in chronic heart failure patients: A posthoc analysis of the TIM-HF2 trial. Eur. J. Cardiovasc. Nurs. 2023, 22, 245–253. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Scalvini, S.; Bernocchi, P.; Zanelli, E.; Comini, L.; Vitacca, M.; Maugeri Centre for Telehealth and Telecare (MCTT). Maugeri Centre for Telehealth and Telecare: A real-life integrated experience in chronic patients. J. Telemed. Telecare 2018, 24, 500–507. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Shaw, R.J.; Yang, Q.; Barnes, A.; Hatch, D.; Crowley, M.J.; Vorderstrasse, A.; Vaughn, J.; Diane, A.; Lewinski, A.A.; Jiang, M.; et al. Self-monitoring diabetes with multiple mobile health devices. J. Am. Med. Inf. Assoc. 2020, 27, 667–676. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [PubMed Central]
- Radhakrishnan, K.; Jacelon, C. Impact of telehealth on patient self-management of heart failure: A review of literature. J. Cardiovasc. Nurs. 2012, 27, 33–43. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Gagnon, M.P.; Ouellet, S.; Attisso, E.; Supper, W.; Amil, S.; Rhéaume, C.; Paquette, J.S.; Chabot, C.; Laferrière, M.C.; Sasseville, M. Wearable Devices for Supporting Chronic Disease Self-Management: Scoping Review. Interact. J. Med. Res. 2024, 13, e55925. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Beukenhorst, A.L.; Howells, K.; Cook, L.; McBeth, J.; O’Neill, T.W.; Parkes, M.J.; Sanders, C.; Sergeant, J.C.; Weihrich, K.S.; Dixon, W.G. Engagement and participant experiences with consumer smartwatches for health research: Longitudinal, observational feasibility study. JMIR mHealth uHealth 2020, 8, e14368. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Karami, A.F. Design and Evaluation of Maliki V-Lab: A Metaverse-Based Virtual Laboratory for Computer Assembly Learning in Higher Education. Int. J. Inf. Educ. Technol. 2024, 14, 814–821. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Heyck Lee, S.; Ramondino, S.; Gallo, K.; Moist, L.M. A Quantitative and Qualitative Study on Patient and Physician Perceptions of Nephrology Telephone Consultation During COVID-19. Can. J. Kidney Health Dis. 2022, 9, 20543581211066720. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hajesmaeel-Gohari, S.; Bahaadinbeigy, K. The most used questionnaires for evaluating telemedicine services. BMC Med. Inform. Decis. Mak. 2021, 21, 36. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Gityamwi, N.; Armes, J.; Harris, J.; Ream, E.; Green, R.; Ahankari, A.; Callwood, A.; Ip, A.; Cockle-Hearne, J.; Grosvenor, W.; et al. Methodological approaches and author-reported limitations in evaluation studies of digital health technologies (DHT): A scoping review of DHT interventions for cancer, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular diseases. PLoS Digit. Health 2025, 4, e0000806. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Graetz, I. Role and Limitations of Telemedicine in Addressing Specialty Care Access Disparities—From Promise to Practice. JAMA Netw. Open. 2025, 8, e2511566. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Bernocchi, P.; Giudici, V.; Borghi, G.; Bertolaia, P.; D’Isa, S.; Trevisan, R.; Scalvini, S. Telemedicine home-based management in patients with chronic heart failure and diabetes type II: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials 2024, 25, 333. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lewis, J.R. Measuring perceived usability: SUS, UMUX, and CSUQ ratings for four everyday products. Int. J. Hum. Comput. Interact. 2019, 35, 1404–1419. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Bangor, A.; Kortum, P.; Miller, J. Determining what individual SUS scores mean: Adding an adjective rating scale. J. Usability Stud. 2009, 4, 114–123. [Google Scholar]
- Hyzy, M.; Bond, R.; Mulvenna, M.; Bai, L.; Dix, A.; Leigh, S.; Hunt, S. System Usability Scale Benchmarking for Digital Health Apps: Meta-analysis. JMIR mHealth uHealth 2022, 10, e37290. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Brooke, J. SUS: A retrospective. J. Usability Stud. 2013, 8, 29–40. [Google Scholar]
- Torbjørnsen, A.; Ribu, L.; Rønnevig, M.; Grøttland, A.; Helseth, S. Users’ acceptability of a mobile application for persons with type 2 diabetes: A qualitative study. BMC Health Serv. Res. 2019, 19, 641. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lewinski, A.A.; Vaughn, J.; Diane, A.; Barnes, A.; Crowley, M.J.; Steinberg, D.; Stevenson, J.; Yang, Q.; Vorderstrasse, A.A.; Hatch, D.; et al. Perceptions of Using Multiple Mobile Health Devices to Support Self-Management Among Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Qualitative Descriptive Study. J. Nurs. Scholarsh. 2021, 53, 643–652. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Evans, J.; Papadopoulos, A.; Silvers, C.T.; Charness, N.; Boot, W.R.; Schlachta-Fairchild, L.; Crump, C.; Martinez, M.; Ent, C.B. Remote Health Monitoring for Older Adults and Those with Heart Failure: Adherence and System Usability. Telemed. J. e-Health Off. J. Am. Telemed. Assoc. 2016, 22, 480–488. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Gorst, S.L.; Armitage, C.J.; Brownsell, S.; Hawley, M.S. Home telehealth uptake and continued use among heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients: A systematic review. Ann. Behav. Med. A Publ. Soc. Behav. Med. 2014, 48, 323–336. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Savoldelli, A.; Regazzoni, V.; Rizzola, G.; Giudici, V.; Vitali, A.; Regazzoni, D.; Rizzi, C.; Viscardi, L. Telemedicine and Remote Management of Patients with Heart Failure: From Theory to Daily Practice. Telemed. J. E Health 2024, 30, 2620–2629. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- De Luca, V.; Qbilat, M.; Cuomo, A.; Bianco, A.; Cesaroni, F.; Lanari, C.; van Berlo, A.; Mota, T.; Pannese, L.; Brandstötter, M.; et al. Virtual reality solution to promote adapted physical activity in older adults: Outcomes from VR2Care project exploratory study. Front. Public Health 2025, 13, 1584406. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hawley-Hague, H.; Horne, M.; Skelton, D.A.; Todd, C. Older Adults’ Uptake and Adherence to Exercise Classes: Instructors’ Perspectives. J. Aging Phys. Act. 2016, 24, 119–128. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Savoldelli, A.; Vitali, A.; Remuzzi, A.; Giudici, V. Improving the user experience of televisits and telemonitoring for heart failure patients in less than 6 months: A methodological approach. Int. J. Med. Inform. 2022, 161, 104717. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Osterberg, L.; Blaschke, T. Adherence to medication. N. Engl. J. Med. 2005, 353, 487–497. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Lesselroth, B.; Monkman, H.; Adams, K.; Wood, S.; Corbett, A.; Homco, J.; Borycki, E.M.; Spier, R.; Kushniruk, A.W. User Experience Theories, Models, and Frameworks: A Focused Review of the Healthcare Literature. Stud. Health Technol. Inform. 2020, 270, 1076–1080. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Strifler, L.; Fahim, C.; Hillmer, M.P.; Barnsley, J.M.; Straus, S.E. Development and usability testing of an online support tool to identify models and frameworks to inform implementation. BMC Med. Inform. Decis. Mak. 2024, 24, 182. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Oudbier, S.J.; Souget-Ruff, S.P.; Chen, B.S.J.; Ziesemer, K.A.; Meij, H.J.; Smets, E.M.A. Implementation barriers and facilitators of remote monitoring, remote consultation and digital care platforms through the eyes of healthcare professionals: A review of reviews. BMJ Open 2024, 14, e075833. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Martinez, W.; Hackstadt, A.J.; Hickson, G.B.; Knoerl, T.; Rosenbloom, S.T.; Wallston, K.A.; Elasy, T.A. The My Diabetes Care Patient Portal Intervention: Usability and Pre-Post Assessment. Appl. Clin. Inform. 2021, 12, 539–550. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [PubMed Central]
- Knoll, K.; Rosner, S.; Gross, S.; Dittrich, D.; Lennerz, C.; Trenkwalder, T.; Schmitz, S.; Sauer, S.; Hentschke, C.; Dörr, M.; et al. Combined telemonitoring and telecoaching for heart failure improves outcome. NPJ Digit. Med. 2023, 6, 193. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [PubMed Central]
- Koulaouzidis, G.; Tsigkriki, L.; Grammenos, O.; Iliopoulou, S.; Kalaitzoglou, M.; Theodorou, P.; Bostanitis, I.; Skonieczna-Żydecka, K.; Charisopoulou, D. Factors Influencing Adherence to Non-Invasive Telemedicine in Heart Failure: A Systematic Review. Clin. Pract. 2025, 15, 79. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [PubMed Central]




| Demographic Variables | Intervention Group n = 43 |
|---|---|
| Age, years | 71 ± 8 |
| Gender | |
| 8 (19%) |
| 35 (81%) |
| CIRS: | |
| 2.2 ± 0.4 |
| 5.0 ± 1.9 |
| NYHA class | |
| 18 (42%) |
| 25 (58%) |
| Most frequent Comorbidities: | |
| 29 (67%) |
| 21 (49%) |
| 9 (21%) |
| 3 (7%) |
| Patients who used devices, n (%) | 41 (95%) |
| Mean age ± SD, years | 72 ± 7 |
| Ability to use smartphones | |
| Smartphone users, n (%) | 28 (68%) |
| 72 ± 9 |
| 8 (20%) |
| 7 (25%) |
| Mean age ± SD, years | 78 ± 9 |
| Non-smartphone users | 13 (32) |
| 72 ± 4 |
| 4 (31) |
| 6 (46) |
| Mean age ± SD | 74 ± 3 |
| APP (TREC) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Total number | Mean ± SD per patient/six months | |
| Number of patients who used the App (%) | 41 (95) | |
| Information entered by the patient: | ||
| 502 | 12 ± 3.9 |
| 3302 | 81 ± 61 |
| 2380 | 58 ± 63 |
| 2423 | 59 ± 62 |
| 2622 | 64 ± 58 |
| 1790 | 44 ± 66 |
| Video conferences with the case manager: | ||
| 896 | 22 ± 21 |
| 4915 | 120 ± 120 |
| Telemonitoring ECG 3 leads | ||
| Number of patients who have performed tracings (%) | 35 (81) | |
| Number of tracings sent remotely and reported | 942 | 27 ± 14 |
| Minutes of tracing | 334 ± 450 | |
| APP + Tracker FitBit | ||
| Number of patients who have used FitBit (%) | 41 (95) | |
| Total number of walking records sent by the tracker | 6535 | 159 ± 24 |
| Walking session/week | 6 ± 0.94 | |
| Percentage | |
|---|---|
| Difficulty faced by patients interacting with a new system containing unfamiliar technological content. | 30% |
| Low Internet connectivity at the patient’s home. The lack of a stable connection made it difficult to send the detected data. | 25% |
| Disconnection or difficulty in reconnecting between the smartphone and devices | 15% |
| Reports of “Electrodes Off” errors even though the patches were placed correctly. | 5% |
| Data synchronization issues between the Fitbit App and the data receiving and displaying platform (CGMCare Map) | 15% |
| Difficulty in conducting video conferences with TreC App due to failure to receive notifications. | 10% |
| 1. How Do You Judge the System Overall? | 2. Was It Easy to Use Devices? | 3. Did You Experience Difficulties in Contacting the Service? | 4. Were the Indications of the Health Staff Clear? | 5. Do You Feel More Secure Since When You Have Access to the Service? | 6. Did the Access to the Service Help Your Family or the People You Live with? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 (4.0–4.0) | 3.0 (2.0–3.2) | 4.0 (4.0–4.0) | 4.0 (3.0–4.0) | 4.0 (3.0–4.0) | 4.0 (3.0–4.0) |
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content. |
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
Share and Cite
Bernocchi, P.; Fiorini Aloisi, G.; Serlini, M.; Pasotti, E.; Comini, L.; Scalvini, S. Six-Month Home-Based Telemedicine Program for Heart Failure and Type 2 Diabetes Patients: Applicability, Usability of Telemonitoring Devices and Apps, and Patient Satisfaction. Healthcare 2026, 14, 90. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14010090
Bernocchi P, Fiorini Aloisi G, Serlini M, Pasotti E, Comini L, Scalvini S. Six-Month Home-Based Telemedicine Program for Heart Failure and Type 2 Diabetes Patients: Applicability, Usability of Telemonitoring Devices and Apps, and Patient Satisfaction. Healthcare. 2026; 14(1):90. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14010090
Chicago/Turabian StyleBernocchi, Palmira, Gloria Fiorini Aloisi, Marilisa Serlini, Elisa Pasotti, Laura Comini, and Simonetta Scalvini. 2026. "Six-Month Home-Based Telemedicine Program for Heart Failure and Type 2 Diabetes Patients: Applicability, Usability of Telemonitoring Devices and Apps, and Patient Satisfaction" Healthcare 14, no. 1: 90. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14010090
APA StyleBernocchi, P., Fiorini Aloisi, G., Serlini, M., Pasotti, E., Comini, L., & Scalvini, S. (2026). Six-Month Home-Based Telemedicine Program for Heart Failure and Type 2 Diabetes Patients: Applicability, Usability of Telemonitoring Devices and Apps, and Patient Satisfaction. Healthcare, 14(1), 90. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14010090

