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Published on: April 19, 2019
Self-care interventions using mobile applications in heart failure management
1Institute of Health Science Innovation for Medical Care, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan.
Journal of Cardiology
|July 24, 2026
Summary
Mobile health apps show promise for improving heart failure (HF) self-care behaviors. However, evidence on their impact on hard clinical outcomes like mortality and hospitalization is still limited and inconsistent.
Area of Science:
- Digital health
- Cardiology
- Health informatics
Background:
- Mobile health (mHealth) applications are increasingly used for patient-centered care.
- Growing demand for digital health solutions in heart failure (HF) management has led to the development of numerous HF-specific apps.
- These apps aim to improve self-care behaviors in patients with chronic HF.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review mobile app-based self-care interventions for chronic heart failure (HF) patients.
- To evaluate the evidence regarding the efficacy and feasibility of these digital therapeutics.
- To identify barriers to mHealth app adoption in routine clinical practice.
Main Methods:
- Narrative review of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating mHealth apps for HF self-care.
- Analysis of studies focusing on app functionalities such as self-monitoring, medication reminders, lifestyle guidance, and alerts.
- Examination of evidence on app impact on patient self-care behaviors and clinical endpoints.
Main Results:
- mHealth apps can enhance self-care behaviors in patients with chronic HF.
- Evidence for the impact of these apps on hard clinical endpoints (mortality, hospitalization) is limited and inconsistent.
- RCTs have shown potential benefits, but successful implementation requires addressing adoption barriers.
Conclusions:
- Mobile health apps offer a promising avenue for supporting self-care in chronic heart failure.
- Further research is needed to solidify the evidence on clinical outcomes.
- Overcoming barriers to adoption by patients and healthcare professionals is crucial for integrating these digital tools into standard care.
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