Patient-Reported Experience of Digital Remote Monitoring for Chronic Heart Failure Across Experimental and Routine...

Background/Objectives: In France, remote monitoring for chronic heart failure transitioned from the experimental ETAPES programme (Expérimentations de télémédecine pour l'amélioration des parcours de santé) to routine reimbursement in July 2023. Whether patient-reported experience remained similar during routine implementation in a real-world respondent population was unknown. This study compared satisfaction, usability, and perceived benefits among Satelia^® Cardio users surveyed in 2020-2021 and 2024. Methods: This repeated cross-sectional study compared 978 adult users surveyed between August and December 2024 with 400 digitally literate users from the 2020-2021 reference cohort. Ten comparable items were analysed as the proportion selecting scores of 7-10. Differences were assessed using Pearson's chi-square test with Yates' continuity correction. Exploratory age-stratified analyses examined three usability items. Results: In 2024, 30.1% of respondents were aged ≥80 years. Overall satisfaction was similar (80.3% vs. 77.0%; p = 0.20). Two perception items showed higher unadjusted ratings: perceived improvement in treatment adherence (60.1% vs. 52.3%; +7.9 percentage points; p = 0.009) and perceived help to the treating physician (76.5% vs. 70.3%; +6.2 percentage points; p = 0.019); however, these findings remained exploratory after correction for multiplicity. Usability ratings were slightly lower in 2024, with the largest differences versus the aggregate 2021 reference among respondents aged ≥80 years; ratings among those aged <70 years were similar to 2021 values. The recommendation rate to other patients was high at 70.3%. The three most frequently reported perceptions of Satelia^® Cardio were that telemonitoring was reassuring, useful and simple. Conclusions: During the routine-reimbursement period, satisfaction remained high in a respondent population in which 30.1% were aged ≥80 years. Two perception items showed higher unadjusted ratings, but these findings remained exploratory after correction for multiplicity. Descriptively lower usability ratings in the ≥80-year stratum warrant further evaluation and tailored support. Because the surveys involved independent, differently composed samples, causal and longitudinal conclusions cannot be drawn. These findings describe patient experience across two successive implementation contexts and should not be interpreted as evidence of a causal effect of reimbursement policy.