Education of Patients with Prosthetic Heart Valves Using Internet Technologies

Aim. To evaluate the effectiveness of education in patients with heart valve prostheses using online technologies. Material and Methods. Two groups of patients were examined. Patients in group 1 ( n = 122) underwent the standard education program; patients in group 2 ( n = 86) underwent distant education using the online technologies (video teleconferencing). The quality of life, adherence to treatment, and time in therapeutic range (TTR) of international normalized ratio (INR) were assessed. Results . The quality of life and adherence to treatment did not differ between groups of patients at baseline. At nine-month follow-up, mental health improved by 30% in patients undergoing their education using the online technologies ( p = 0.0040). Similarly, their adherence to treatment increased by 1.4 times ( p = 0.0002) and TTR expanded by 20% ( p = 0.014). Conclusion . Patient education using the online technologies demonstrated its beneficial potential and represents the priority area in rehabilitation of patients after cardiac surgery.