Patients' expectations and experiences with the usage of a self-care application for heart failure: A qualitative interview study.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a chronic disease characterized by high mortality and healthcare expenditures. Digital health solutions, including mobile health applications (apps), offer opportunities to enhance patients' self-care and quality of life. This qualitative study aimed to explore expectations, experiences, and usage behaviour of HF-patients regarding a self-care app ( app).

[Telemedicine for patients with cardiac implants : Insights into everyday practice of remote monitoring in Germany in 2022].

Background: As telemedical structures continues to be developed in the German healthcare system, remote monitoring is becoming increasingly important to ensure comprehensive, outpatient, and tailored care. The national quality assurance measure "DOQUVIDE-Documentation of quality in the assessment of vital parameters by implanted devices" is used to provide insight into everyday care for patients with telemedicine-enabled devices in Germany.

Methods: DOQUVIDE is a measuring instrument for recording outpatient remote monitoring for patients with implanted pacemaker, implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), cardiac resynchronization therapy with a pacemaker (CRT-P), CRT defibrillator (CRT-D) devices and event recorder.

[Heart failure care in a digitalized future : A discourse on resource-sparing structures and self-determined patients].

Digital health solutions, applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and new technologies, such as cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and cardiac human genetics are currently being validated in cardiac healthcare pathways. They show promising approaches for improving existing healthcare structures in the future by strengthening the focus on predictive, preventive and personalized medicine. In addition, the accompanying use of digital health applications will become increasingly more important in the future healthcare, especially in patients with chronic diseases.

[Position paper on required competencies of nonphysician employees in telemedicine centers].

The non-physician employees in telemedicine centers (TMC) play a decisive role in the care and treatment of patients with heart failure. For this reason, a holistic profile consisting of professional and methodological as well as social and personal competences is necessary, which should be built up or promoted in corresponding training concepts. This position paper underlines the urgency of appropriate and standardized further training of non-physician employees for quality assurance in TMCs and summarizes the requirements for the additional qualification of a telemedical assistant across the board.

Determinants of acceptance of patients with heart failure and their informal caregivers regarding an interactive decision-making system: a qualitative study.

Objective: Heart failure is a growing challenge to healthcare systems worldwide. Technological solutions have the potential to improve the health of patients and help to reduce costs. Acceptability is a prerequisite for the use and a successful implementation of new disruptive technologies.

[Structural requirements and prerequisites for outpatient implantation of defibrillators, devices for cardiac resynchronization and event recorders].

The possibility of outpatient implantation of defibrillators, devices for cardiac resynchronization, and event recorders (collectively called cardiac implantable electronic devices, CIEDs) is becoming increasingly important. In Germany, only a few options for outpatient implantation are currently realized. Furthermore, there is a lack of uniform, recognized, and binding quality criteria.

[The wearable cardioverter defibrillator as diagnostic tool : Case report from remote monitoring daily practice].

Telemedical care can point out new applications of already established therapeutics such as a wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD) and improve the quality of care for chronically ill patients with heart failure through improved management of data derived from this device. The current case report describes the clinical course of a 71-year-old man, who was treated with a WCD in accordance with the current guidelines until a final decision was made about ICD implantation, after acute cardiac decompensation and lately diagnosed severe decrease of left ventricular function in the context of ischaemic cardiomyopathy. The data collected by the WCD were evaluated in a structured way via a telemedicine centre (TMC) and recurrence of the previously known paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) was discovered.

[Artificial intelligence in cardiology : Relevance, current applications, and future developments].

Big data and applications of artificial intelligence (AI), such as machine learning or deep learning, will enrich healthcare in the future and become increasingly important. Among other things, they have the potential to avoid unnecessary examinations as well as diagnostic and therapeutic errors. They could enable improved, early and accelerated decision-making.

[Present and future relevance of telemedicine in cardiac arrhythmia emergencies].

Background: The use of remote monitoring has increased due to recently published randomised studies. However, its benefit during acute rhythm disorders still remains controversial.

Objectives: The current review describes the current status and highlights possible application of telemedicine during acute rhythm disorders.

Artificial intelligence supported patient self-care in chronic heart failure: a paradigm shift from reactive to predictive, preventive and personalised care.

Heart failure (HF) is one of the most complex chronic disorders with high prevalence, mainly due to the ageing population and better treatment of underlying diseases. Prevalence will continue to rise and is estimated to reach 3% of the population in Western countries by 2025. It is the most important cause of hospitalisation in subjects aged 65 years or more, resulting in high costs and major social impact.

[Current status and future of telemonitoring : Scenarios for telemedical care in 2025].

Telemonitoring is an already realized implementation of digital transformation in the healthcare system. It has the potential to support and secure a sustainable and comprehensive provision of healthcare for a rising number of chronically ill patients, e. g.

A multiplex PCR strategy to screen for known mutations in families with sudden cardiac death burden.

Ventricular tachyarrythmia occurring in ischemic heart disease, dilated/hypertrophic cardiomyopathies or rare monogenic mutations of cardiac ion channels or associated proteins belong to the most frequent causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD). In further decades, next generation sequencing and bioinformatic analysis will become the gold standard of SCD risk stratification. At the moment, Sanger-sequencing is still obligatory in genetic diagnosis.

[Consensus statement: Management of oral anticoagulation for stroke prevention in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation].

With the introduction of edoxaban last year in Germany, four nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants are now available for stroke prevention in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. These novel oral anticoagulants (NOAC) represent an attractive new option compared to vitamin K antagonists (e.g.

Outcomes of Patients in Long-Term Opioid Maintenance Treatment.

Background: Despite the importance of duration of opioid maintenance treatment (OMT), only few studies have reported outcomes of long-term OMT.

Objectives: To describe outcomes of long-term (> 5 years) OMT patients with respect to substance use, physical and mental health, and socioeconomic characteristics.

Methods: Patients (n = 160) were recruited from 15 OMT offices in different regions of Germany.

Challenges in personalised management of chronic diseases-heart failure as prominent example to advance the care process.

Chronic diseases are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Europe, accounting for more than 2/3 of all death causes and 75 % of the healthcare costs. Heart failure is one of the most prominent, prevalent and complex chronic conditions and is accompanied with multiple other chronic diseases. The current approach to care has important shortcomings with respect to diagnosis, treatment and care processes.

General practitioners' adherence to chronic heart failure guidelines regarding medication: the GP-HF study.

Aims: The adherence to the guidelines for pharmacotherapy of chronic heart failure (HF)-patients improves prognosis. Although general practitioners (GPs) treat the majority of HF-patients, information about GPs' current guideline adherence and their typical prescription rationales is sparse.

Methods And Results: A three-stage study design was employed.

[Localization of the origin of idiopathic ventricular extrasystoles and tachycardia from the outflow tract].

Premature ventricular contractions (PVC) are a common cause for complaints. As a rule PVCs are not life-threatening if no structural heart disease is present; however, due to the symptoms treatment is often required using either antiarrhythmic drugs or more commonly catheter ablation. The surface electrocardiogram (ECG) is very helpful in localizing the origin of the arrhythmia, in particular for differentiating right from left ventricular sources.

[The Wearable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (WCD)].

While the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) has been proven to be the best choice for patients with long-term risk for sudden cardiac arrest/sudden cardiac death (SCA/SCD), the question is how to manage patients with only temporary risk, e.g., during the guidelines-recommended waiting period until the decision for an ICD can be made.

Prediction and personalised treatment of atrial fibrillation-stroke prevention: consolidated position paper of CVD professionals.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the major morbidity and health economic factors in Europe and often associated with several co-morbidities. This paper (1) underlines the importance of highly professional AF management utilising a multi-disciplinary expertise, especially considering the role of AF regarding the stroke risk and prevention, (2) demonstrates the consolidated position of CVD professionals and (3) emphasises those research aspects that could deepen the understanding of the emergence and the treatment of AF and therefore helps to provide a personalised preventive and more effective management of AF. Specialised calls are considered for that within the new European Programme 'Horizon 2020'.

How do patients with rare diseases experience the medical encounter? Exploring role behavior and its impact on patient-physician interaction.

Objectives: Empirical research shows that patients with severe illnesses prefer the physician to dominate decision processes and provide the information needed. However, in rare diseases, due to the low prevalence and the lack of expertise, the patient is forced to become knowledgeable about his own disease state. Objectives of this study were to describe the experiences of patient-physician interaction in rare diseases, to develop an empirically derived typology of interaction patterns and to explore the antecedents of these interaction patterns, with a special focus on role behavior.

Costs and benefits of personalized healthcare for patients with chronic heart failure in the care and education program "Telemedicine for the Heart".

Objective: A health economic analysis was conducted to evaluate the program "Telemedicine for the Heart," which the German Foundation for the Chronically Ill organizes for the Techniker Krankenkasse, one of the biggest German statutory health insurance funds. The program consists of nurse-calls to motivate patients to perform regular self-measurements (blood pressure, pulse, weight) with either their own or telemedical measuring devices provided by the program. In the case of measured values outside of set limits, calls to treating physicians were placed to allow for the initiation of therapy adjustments where applicable.