Playing an active role in your heart failure management may help slow or delay the progression of heart failure. This may come with some challenges since treating heart failure can feel overwhelming at times. You may be juggling more than one medication and making several lifestyle changes.
As time goes on, you may need to adjust your medications based on your needs. “That may require you to come and visit the doctor more frequently, especially at the beginning,” says Michelle Bloom, MD, Cardiologist at Stony Brook University Hospital.
This is where telemedicine can play a role. You may be able to have some of these doctor visits remotely, which may help make your treatment plan more convenient.
What is telemedicine and what are the benefits?
Telemedicine is the use of technology (such as video conferencing) to have a healthcare visit with your provider. This means you can have a doctor’s appointment from your own couch, desk, or dining table. Having an appointment over the phone also counts as telemedicine.
The benefits of telemedicine include:
Saving on travel time since you don’t need to commute to the doctor’s office
Reducing travel costs, such as gas money, bus tickets, or parking fees
Improving convenience
Saving on travel time and arrangements
Allowing you to meet with specialists who may be far away from you
Reducing in-person contact with groups of people if you have a compromised immune system
Travel time and costs can really add up if you have frequent doctor’s visits. This may be especially true if you rely on public transportation or have to travel to another town to see your doctor.
How can telemedicine help manage heart failure?
There are some limitations to a telemedicine visit. For example, your doctor can’t do any blood work or imaging tests in real time. If testing is needed, you may still be sent to a laboratory or testing facility (although some blood draw services can come to your house depending on where you live and local resources).
Still, there are many things you and your provider can do using telemedicine, such as:
Discuss any new or worsening symptoms you may be having
Ask questions about your medication
Discuss your medications and how they are working for you
Discuss your vital signs (if you have a scale, blood pressure machine, or other devices at home) and any new changes with them
Talk about side effects that you have concerns about
Being able to manage these aspects of your heart failure treatment via telemedicine may drastically cut down on the number of trips you make to the doctor’s office.
What are tips for a more successful telemedicine visit for heart failure?
Just like for in-person visits, your doctor may have a time limit for your appointment. Preparing for your visit beforehand may help make the most of your time during the session. Ideally, you won’t have to deal with a dying battery or loud interruptions during this limited time.
For a better telemedicine visit, here are tips to prepare:
Make sure you have a good internet connection. If your internet at home tends to be slow or spotty, you may need to find somewhere else to have the call (such as at a trusted friend’s house).
Find a quiet and private place. Ideally, this is a separate room where you can close the door. Let others in your home know that you will be talking to your doctor and they should avoid the area and be as quiet as they can.
Test out your tech devices beforehand. Make sure your webcam and microphone work. Often, the provider will give you a link to the session a little early, which allows you to make sure the telemedicine software runs well on your computer. Many also offer the ability to test your microphone and webcam before the session starts.
Write down a list of questions and discussion topics that you want to bring up during your visit.
“If you are interested in more information about telemedicine, definitely talk to your healthcare team,” says Dr. Bloom.
Dr. Bloom is a Cardiologist, an Associate Professor of Medicine at Stony Brook University Medical Center, a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the Heart Failure Society of America.
References
Gajarawala, S. N., et al. (2021). Telehealth benefits and barriers. TheJournal for Nurse Practitioners.
Mechanic, O. J., et al. (2022). Telehealth systems. StatPearls [Internet].
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2022). Heart failure treatment.
Nordfonn, O. K. et al. (2021). Burden of treatment in patients with chronic heart failure — a cross-sectional study. Heart & Lung.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2024). Preparing for a virtual visit.
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