Wearables/Smart Apps + Low Salt Diet

A Real Time Self Care-Monitoring In Heart Failure

Mojdeh Amini, CHFN, PCCN, BSN, BSc

INTRODUCTION RESULTS RESULTS

Clinical and Technological Pearls

• Heart Failure (HF) is a costly complex syndrome.
• HF remains with high readmissions and mortality
rates in patients above 65 years age.
• Low salt diet (LSD) can prevent about 2.5 million
deaths globally each year.
• Wearable and smartphones apps are potential
solutions for promoting adherence behaviours and
long term self-care managements in HF.
• This Literature review attempts to study the current
adoption of digital devices for promoting LSD in HF. Figure 3. A few barriers in adherence to low salt diet
in self-care management with some solutions

METHODS
In this review, the U.S. National Liferay of Medicine,
AMIA, Web of Science, PubMed, MedlinePlus and
Google Scholar databases were utilized.
The finding Knowledge from literatures:
1. A research based on 3 Web-based mobile app stores
in HF self-care management
• 3,636 apps with exclusion and inclusion criteria.
• 34 apps for self-care with low salt diets only by the
Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA)
2. The SaltSwitch randomised controlled trial used a
smartphone apps for LSD self-care monitoring in::
• Sixty-six adults divided by two groups, mean age 64
with cardiovascular disease for 4 weeks
3. Multiple researches examined wearables and
smartphone apps to learn more about the barriers in
self-management by:
• Using Minnesota Living with Heart Failure
Questionnaire.
Figure 1. A double chart with number of searched apps for
self-care management and low salt diet in HF
Among 3,636 apps only the HFSAS app included LSD
Lack of education/ income and lower accessibility to
healthier food were identified as major barriers in
compliance with LSD.
CONCLUSION
❑ Wearables and smartphones are effective for long term
self-care management, and adherence with LSD in HF.
❑ Combination of self- monitoring and following data allow faster
identification of symptoms diseases and interventions for
lowering cost and patients satisfaction..
❑ The studies were limited by small sample sizes and often in a
single center setting.
❑ Further research in health sciences and digital technologies
are required for quality improvement in HF with better
outcomes.
REFRENCES
Eyles, H., McLean, R., Neal, B., Jiang, Y., Doughty, R. N., McLean, R., & Ni Mhurchu, C. (2017). A
salt-reduction smartphone app supports lower-salt food purchases for people with cardiovascular
disease: Findings from the SaltSwitch randomised controlled trial. European Journal of Preventive
Cardiology, 24(13), 1435–1444. https://doi.org/10.1177/2047487317715713

• Involving more patients with diverse backgrounds and
filling gaps
• Applying Geographic Information Science (GIS),
Global Positioning System (GPS), and Activity Tracker
Data for finding about locational barriers
Figure 2. The SaltSwitch trail did not find significant differences
in the secondary outcomes (all the P>0.05).
Chan, A. (2018). An integrative review: Adherence barriers to a lowsalt diet in culturally diverse heart
failure adults. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 36(1), 37-47. Retrieved from
https://scholars.uow.edu.au/display/publication130377
Health Navigator New Zealand. (2016). FoodSwitch NZ app. Retrieved from
https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/apps/f/foodswitch-new-zealand-app/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, December 09). Heart Failure. Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/heart_failure.htm