Hausärztliches Telemonitoring bei akuten Erkrankungen am Beispiel von COVID-19 – qualitative Interviewstudie

Telemonitoring was used worldwide in COVID-19 patient care during the pandemic. In the COVID-19@Home project, a telemonitoring concept was developed and implemented for the general practice setting.

This article will present experiences with, barriers to, and facilitating factors for the implementation of the telemonitoring concept from the perspective of general practitioners (GPs).

On the side of the patients, an app with up to five digital devices was used to measure vital signs. The practices received access to a web portal to view the readings and symptoms as well as connection to a support structure. The participating GPs were invited to semi-structured interviews, which were then analyzed according to qualitative content analysis.

Eight practices with 51 patients participated, and seven of the eight physician participants agreed to an interview. Telemonitoring was perceived as an added value especially if it reduced the workload or the own uncertainty in contact with high-risk patients. Additional tasks through telemonitoring were mostly performed by GPs outside of consultation hours. The measured values were checked at least daily. Data quality and reliability were predominantly described as good, but opinions on the number of measuring devices diverged.

Acceptance of telemonitoring for acute diseases by GPs can only be expected if the concept is successfully integrated into the daily work routine and if target group-specific accompanying support structures are available. To optimize the value-to-effort ratio, future studies should define clear inclusion criteria for patient groups that will benefit from telemedical support as well as the composition of measuring instruments.