Explore our heart failure patient guidance and further information.
What will I need?
In order to use the heart failure service, you will need access to:
- A telephone, mobile, smartphone , laptop or tablet device (depending on your chosen method of submitting your readings)
- Blood pressure cuff and monitor
- Weighing scales
- Pulse oximeter (if required)
Your heart failure nurse will discuss with you which items you may already have at home and what devices you may need to be provided with.
What questions will the service ask?
When using the heart failure service, you will be asked to answer simple questions about your symptoms and to record your weight, blood pressure and oxygen level (if required).
You will also occasionally be asked to complete short questionnaires about your quality of life and wellbeing. These are known as the ‘Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire 12’ and the ‘Patient Health Questionnaire 4’. By completing these questionnaires, it will help to inform you and your heart failure team about how your symptoms are affecting your overall lifestyle and wellbeing.
Monitoring changes in these scores over time will help to give you a better understanding of how well controlled your symptoms are and to discuss any changes in your management with your heart failure team.
What does the service do with my results?
The heart failure remote monitoring service will review the answers and vital sign measurements that you have entered. The service will respond by providing advice, if required, to help you to manage your symptoms in line with your heart failure management plan.
The messages will use a ‘traffic light’ system to indicate whether you are in the ‘Red’, ‘Amber’ or ‘Green’ zone. If any of your responses suggest that you need medical attention, you will be advised and a Doctor or Nurse may contact you either by telephone, video conference or visit.
The measurements and responses to questions will be available to your heart failure team who can then track your results over time.
