MethodologyMethodology

This was a prospective experimental study with a control group and two intervention groups. The sample population was 171 chronically-ill patients with CHF admitted to Conemaugh Home Health and living within the five-county service area of the Conemaugh Health System of West Central Pennsylvania. The control group continued their usual care within the civilian and/or military health care reimbursement system.  Usual care consisted of regular, in-person home visits by the Conemaugh Home Health professional nurse. The control group received neither telemonitoring nor home telenursing visits.

Group 2 received store & forward peripheral monitoring devices to measure blood pressure, weight, heart rate, and oxygen level plus their usual care by a nurse. Group 3 patients received remote, live, interactive "visits" per videophone by a telenurse plus peripheral monitoring devices as an adjunct to in-person home visits. Participants were assigned to groups on an equal and rotational basis according to disease severity based on the New York Association Classification for Heart Failure.