Patient satisfaction followed by remote monitoring

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Remote monitoring (RM) of cardiac implantable electronic devices has increased significantly in the last years. The safety and efficacy of RM have been demonstrated, however, there are few data on patient satisfaction. The objective of this study was to evaluate the satisfaction of patients with an implanted pacemaker (PM) followed through remote monitoring. Methods Patients implanted with a conventional or leadless PM who had been using RM system for at least 3 months were included. Patients had to be able to understand and answer questionnaires, having no significant cognitive impairment. An specific, and previous validate, patient satisfaction RM questionnaire with 30-item, self-completed, measured on a 5-point Likert scale (0=No, nothing, 4=Yes, a lot) was administered. The questionnaire is structured in 5 dimensions: Information on cardiac condition, device convenience, transmission process, satisfaction with medical monitoring, and benefits. The results are presented as mean. The difference between mean was analyzed using the T-Student test. Results A total of 98 patients were included (77.8±8.2 years old, 67% male), 82 % had conventional PM and 18 % leadless PM. According RM connectivity 70% had daily automatic transmission, 12% automatic transmission and 18% manual transmission. On average, participants answered 83% of the items. The overall satisfaction of the patient was high (3.66). The mean score for each dimension is summarized in Table 1. The Device convenience had the highest mean (3.75), and the Transmission process had the lowest mean (3.56). There was no difference between patients with a conventional pacemaker versus leadless pacemakers (Fig 1, p=0,30). Results Patients with PM followed through RM have a high level of satisfaction when evaluated using an specific questionnaire. The level of satisfaction is independent of the type of PM or the connectivity of the system.Table 1Mean dimension score by device type