Dutch clinic prescribes remote monitoring to 777 heart patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

FibriCheck enables large scale teleconsultations at Maastricht University Medical Centre+

With COVID-19 still very much on the agenda, many hospitals, clinics and medical centers are turning to mHealth and other digital solutions to optimize patient care and manage patient-doctor contacts. In this context, Maastricht University Medical Centre+ has implemented teleconsultations for many of its heart patients over the course of 2020, employing the FibriCheck app to monitor patients’ heart rate and rhythm remotely. Part of the Europe-wide TeleCheck-AF project, MUMC+’s remote monitoring process gives physicians access to highly accurate measurements via a fully-certified medical app. As such FibriCheck has dramatically reduced the need for traditional face-to-face consultations, thus minimizing the risks of spreading the coronavirus.

Remote monitoring on demand

777 AF patients of MUMC+ already scheduled for a follow-up consultation were proactively contacted approx. 1 week in advance and invited to install the FibriCheck app on their smartphone. Of this number, 239 patients had a regular AF teleconsultation, 230 had recently undergone a pulmonary vein isolation procedure and 111 had been prescribed electrical cardioversion. Each patient was sent detailed instructions by e-mail and was asked to take 60-second PPG measurements 3 times per day and whenever they experienced symptoms.

Accurate, reliable data

The resultant detailed heart rate and heart rhythm recordings were then automatically uploaded to a secure cloud server, thus enabling the treating physician to make clinical decisions and prescribe or adjust treatment based on accurate and reliable data. In particular, the data was used to manage rate and rhythm control medication in patients scheduled for admission to MUMC+’s AF outpatient clinic or for follow-up after undergoing AF ablation.

The FibriCheck app was used to monitor the heart rate and rhythm of atrial fibrillation patients through teleconsultation

Enhanced quality and efficiency

As a result of this mHealth project, MUMC+ not only played its part in limiting the spread of COVID-19. By giving physicians easy, fast and secure access to reliable data, FibriCheck’s on-demand monitoring helped reduce the cost and increase the efficiency of healthcare at the clinic. The app is inexpensive compared with traditional medical equipment and requires no additional hardware other than a smartphone. Which in turn has several advantages in terms of logistics, hygiene and infection control. By streamlining the processing and transfer data, moreover, it saves precious time for all healthcare professionals involved.

Patient empowerment

However, the mHealth program also provided multiple benefits for patients of MUMC+. By saving them the time and inconvenience of travelling to the clinic for monitoring and treatment and by minimizing their potential exposure to the coronavirus. Most importantly, however, by putting the patients at the center of their own treatment, the solution empowers them to become more actively engaged in managing their condition.

A Europe-wide initiative

MUMC+ is just one of 39 clinical centers who have joined the TeleCheck-AF project. This Europe-wide initiative has already helped clinics manage and improve care for around 2,400 atrial fibrillation patients, enabling over 40,000 remote PPG recordings.

Remote monitoring at your clinic?

Particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, FibriCheck’s medically approved technology makes it incredibly easy for clinics to continue to provide the highest level of care while protecting both their staff and patients. And with all procedures and infrastructure already in place, similar projects can be rolled out at other clinics in a matter of days.