Chief Data Scientist

Abstract

Background Heart failure (HF) remains one of the leading causes of 30-day hospital readmissions. In this study, we examined the feasibility of incorporating RecoverLINK, a digital health technology, into the standard of care for recently discharged HF patients at a large, urban teaching hospital. RecoverLINK supplements transitional care programs by providing outpatients with a 30-day app-based education and intervention program, and delivering analytics to alert providers when an early intervention is needed. Methods We enrolled a convenience sample of 34 HF outpatients to use the RecoverLINK patient app at home for 30-days following a recent discharge, and collected clinical and operational data from the RecoverLINK case manager system as it was used by participating transitional care providers. Feasibility was measured as a function of patient and provider engagement with the technology. We also examined the association between patient engagement with the RecoverLINK app (defined as high, >50% patient-use over 30 program-days, or low, Results Patients recorded their daily health status in the RecoverLINK app a mean of 58% of program-days, or roughly every other day during the 30-day program (median of 75%). Patient- reported symptoms generated alerts sent to providers via the RecoverLINK case manager system an average of 9 of 30 (29%) program-days. Providers addressed 100% of alerts, and responded within a median of 3 business days. Among all participants, 15% (95% CI: 6%, 30%) were readmitted within 30-days. Stratified by engagement level, 5% (95% CI: 0%, 23%) of highly engaged RecoverLINK patients (n=1/21) were readmitted within 30-days versus 31% (95% CI: 13%, 58%) of patients with low engagement (n=4/13). Conclusion Patients and providers frequently interacted with the RecoverLINK application, supporting the feasibility of its use as a supplement to HF transitional care programs. Readmissions may be influenced by patient engagement with the RecoverLINK app; however, future research is needed to determine the effectiveness of the application to prevent HF readmissions.