How COVID-19 Affected the Introduction of Telemedicine and Patient Reported Outcomes Among Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension - A Report From a Referral Center in Japan

Yuichi Tamura; Rika Takeyasu; Asuka Furukawa; Hiromi Takada; Mineki Takechi; Hirohisa Taniguchi; Akio Kawamura

doi:10.1253/circrep.CR-20-0088

How COVID-19 Affected the Introduction of Telemedicine and Patient Reported Outcomes Among Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension - A Report From a Referral Center in Japan

Circ Rep. 2020 Aug 27;2(9):526-530. doi: 10.1253/circrep.CR-20-0088.

Authors

Yuichi Tamura^{1

2}, Rika Takeyasu¹, Asuka Furukawa^{1

2}, Hiromi Takada¹, Mineki Takechi¹, Hirohisa Taniguchi², Akio Kawamura²

Affiliations

¹ Pulmonary Hypertension Center, International University of Health and Welfare Mita Hospital Tokyo Japan.
² Department of Cardiology, International University of Health and Welfare School of Medicine Narita Japan.

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 is fatal to patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH), so preventive actions are recommended. This study investigated the effectiveness of telemedicine and effects on quality of life (QOL) in the treatment of patients with PH. Methods and Results: Japanese patients with PH (n=40) were recruited from one referral center. Patient self-reported anxiety worsened significantly and elderly patients in particular experienced detrimental lifestyle changes under COVID-19. Telemedicine worked well to decrease the frequency of going out. Conclusions: Telemedicine is effective in reducing travel distances, and frequent remote interventions may be desirable for older, anxious patients.

Keywords: COVID-19; Patient-reported outcome; Pulmonary hypertension; Telemedicine; emPHasis-10.