The use of telemonitoring led to an increase in patients ' knowledge of their condition ( Boyne et al ., 2014 ; de Oliveira et al ., 2017 ; Fairbrother et al ., 2014 ; Jaana et al ., 2019 ). Most of the findings report that the use of telemonitoring increased patients ' self-care skills ( Boyne et al ., 2014 ; de Oliveira et al ., 2017 ; Evangelista et al ., 2015 ; Jaana et al ., 2019 ; Riley et al ., 2013 ). However , from these findings , some aspects of patients ’ self-care skills are not influenced by telemonitoring . Interestingly , Fairbrother et al ( 2014 ) find that patients in this study , are unable to develop their self-care skills while using telemonitoring . The overall methodological quality of the literature is good , which enhanced the ability to use the research findings to inform the development of the chosen recommendation .
Recommendations
From the literature review , the most encountered issue identified from the findings is that telemonitoring demonstrated limited impact upon HF patients ’ development of selfcare skills , indicating this as a significant aspect for further development . From the literature review , Fairbrother et al ( 2014 ) and Jaana et al ( 2019 ) suggest that there is a need for HF patients using telemonitoring to be educated on self-care for them to develop more selfcare skills . Delaney et al ( 2013 ) reported that when HF patients use telemonitoring and are educated on self-care , it leads to an increase in their knowledge of self-care . This results in patients developing more self-care skills , and it leads to better health outcomes ( Hart & Nutt , 2020 ). Suggesting that education is key for the effective use of telemonitoring . Therefore , an educational package is recommended to HF patients using telemonitoring that is focused on self-care .
The mediums considered are an app , website , narrated PowerPoint , podcast , and e-learning . An app is chosen as the most appropriate delivery format for the following reasons . HF patients can access the content of the app anytime and in any location , they want , thereby , enabling HF patients to be in control of their learning ( Win , Hassan , Bonney & Iverson , 2015 ). The app will promote audio-visual learning for HF patients . When audio-visual learning is initiated for use in a learning resource , it activates the visual and auditory senses of learners ( Rasul et al ., 2011 ). When this occurs , it facilitates the interest and engagement of the learners , and as a result , leads to learners learning more , understanding better and retaining the content of the learning resource ( Goad , Huntley-Dale & Whichello , 2018 ). The affordances of such an app indicate that the value for further research and development , of which this research is just the beginning .
Conclusion
From the findings , it is identified that HF patients did find the telemonitoring technology easy to use , resulting in an increase in their knowledge of their condition . Most of the findings report that HF patients can develop their self-care skills but not effectively . Only one of the findings report that HF patients are unable to develop their self-care skills while using telemonitoring . The findings from the literature review led to the recommendation of an app to address the gaps and issues identified . This app will educate HF patients using telemonitoring on how they can develop more self-care skills , resulting in improved health outcomes for almost a million UK residents .
In the event of writing this article , the Covid- 19 pandemic evolved , which subsequently influenced the use of telehealth worldwide . Consequently , future research might demonstrate greater acceptance and application of these technologies in this patient group . Additionally , further research is needed in understanding the perception of nurses on telehealth use by HF patients as there is limited research on this topic area , and this may enhance the positive outcomes even further .
Acknowledgements
I want to give all the glory to God for His abundant grace that He gave me while writing this article . I wish to express my most profound gratitude to my project supervisor , Karen Adams ( Lecturer , Adult nursing ), for her unparalleled and unwavering support during the cause of writing this project . I am deeply indebted to my parents , siblings and friends for their exceptional and matchless support and encouragement given to me while writing my project .
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