TY  - JOUR
AU  - Hurtado, Lidia
AU  - Gonzalez Concepcion, Melinda
AU  - Flix-Valle, Aida
AU  - Ruiz-Romeo, Marina
AU  - Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Sonia
AU  - Peña, Marta
AU  - Paviglianiti, Annalisa
AU  - Pera Jambrina, Maria Angeles
AU  - Sureda, Anna
AU  - Ochoa-Arnedo, Cristian
AU  - Mussetti, Alberto
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/6/4
TI  - Telemedicine With Wearable Technologies in Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy (TEL-HEMATO Study): Prospective Noninterventional Single-Center Study
JO  - JMIR Form Res
SP  - e55918
VL  - 8
KW  - hematology
KW  - hematopoietic cell transplantation
KW  - telemedicine
KW  - wearables
KW  - chimeric antigen receptor T
KW  - CART
KW  - wearable
KW  - hematopoietic
KW  - transplantation
KW  - transplant
KW  - pilot study
KW  - hematological
KW  - HCT
KW  - telehealth
KW  - therapy
KW  - device
KW  - quality of life
KW  - digital health
KW  - smartphone
KW  - app
KW  - patient
KW  - teenager
KW  - youth
KW  - noninterventional
AB  - Background: Patients with hematological malignancies receiving hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) or chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy are at risk of developing serious clinical complications after discharge. Objective: The aim of the TEL-HEMATO study was to improve our telehealth platform for the follow-up of patients undergoing HCT or CAR T-cell therapy during the first 3 months after discharge with the addition of wearable devices. Methods: Eleven patients who received autologous (n=2) or allogeneic (n=5) HCT or CAR T-cell therapy (n=4) for hematological malignancies were screened from November 2022 to July 2023. Two patients discontinued the study after enrollment. The telehealth platform consisted of the daily collection of vital signs, physical symptoms, and quality of life assessment up to 3 months after hospital discharge. Each patient received a clinically validated smartwatch (ScanWatch) and a digital thermometer, and a dedicated smartphone app was used to collect these data. Daily revision of the data was performed through a web-based platform by a hematologist or a nurse specialized in HCT and CAR T-cell therapy. Results: Vital signs measured through ScanWatch were successfully collected with medium/high adherence: heart rate was recorded in 8/9 (89%) patients, oxygen saturation and daily steps were recorded in 9/9 (100%) patients, and sleeping hours were recorded in 7/9 (78%) patients. However, temperature recorded manually by the patients was associated with lower compliance, which was recorded in 5/9 (55%) patients. Overall, 5/9 (55%) patients reported clinical symptoms in the app. Quality of life assessment was completed by 8/9 (89%) patients at study enrollment, which decreased to 3/9 (33%) at the end of the third month. Usability was considered acceptable through ratings provided on the System Usability Scale. However, technological issues were reported by the patients. Conclusions: While the addition of wearable devices to a telehealth clinical platform could have potentially synergic benefits for HCT and CAR T-cell therapy patient monitoring, noncomplete automation of the platform and the absence of a dedicated telemedicine team still represent major limitations to be overcome. This is especially true in our real-life setting where the target population generally comprises patients of older age with a low digital education level. 
SN  - 2561-326X
UR  - https://formative.jmir.org/2024/1/e55918
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/55918
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38833696
DO  - 10.2196/55918
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/55918
ER  -