Is There a Role for Electronic Health Service in of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Immunosuppression?
1Cardiovascular Surgery, University Heart Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
2Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Leipzig, Heart Center, Leipzig, Germany
Meeting: 2017 American Transplant Congress
Abstract number: C254
Keywords: Immunosuppression, Rejection
Session Information
Session Name: Poster Session C: Psychosocial and Treatment Adherence
Session Type: Poster Session
Date: Monday, May 1, 2017
Session Time: 6:00pm-7:00pm
Presentation Time: 6:00pm-7:00pm
Location: Hall D1
Background: Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of immunosuppression is critical to avoid rejection or toxic side effects by under- or over-immunosuppression after heart transplantation (HTx). Hence, in this study we evaluate if information and communication technology (ICT)-support has a potential for electronic health (ehealth) service to enhance TDM after HTx.
Methods: We designed and established a project pathway to conceptualise the deployment of an ehealth service by using insights of technical and conceptual needs (status-quo process) and a patient survey using a standardized questionnaire to assess e.g. patient satisfaction, technical questions and demands related to ehealth were combined to develop step by step a full scope ICT-support for TDM after HTx.
Results: The results of the patient survey, with 88.5% (n=138 from 156) return, showed that the current work-flow and organisational interfaces including hospital internal as well as external stakeholders were not clearly standardized: (1) nearby 50% did not have an answering machine connected to their home telephone; (2) the actual state of TDM manifests as mainly paper based; (3) mostly the nursing stuff communicated by telephone with the patients about the required drug dose adjustments; (4) the current health status of the patient was missed; (5) only half of the patients did have an internet access or an email address; (6) 66% of the patients had a simple mobile phone for SMS and calls, whereas 22% did not have a mobile phone at all.
Conclusion: Our study showed that a profound ICT-support could be the basis for an enhanced TDM. Such an ehealth service could impact the health care costs positively by reducing hospitalisation periods and rates, by avoiding life threatening situations (e.g. graft rejection) and toxic drug side effects, and by establishing a continuous data exchange rate with a short reaction time between the stakeholders.
CITATION INFORMATION: Barten M, Hausladen I, Mohr F, Garbade J. Is There a Role for Electronic Health Service in of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Immunosuppression? Am J Transplant. 2017;17 (suppl 3).
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Barten M, Hausladen I, Mohr F, Garbade J. Is There a Role for Electronic Health Service in of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Immunosuppression? [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2017; 17 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/is-there-a-role-for-electronic-health-service-in-of-therapeutic-drug-monitoring-of-immunosuppression/. Accessed June 27, 2025.« Back to 2017 American Transplant Congress