Gherman Angelica, Levai Codrina Mihaela, Haţegan Ovidiu Alin, Popoiu Călin Marius, Stoicescu Emil Robert, Maghiari Anca Laura
Ph.D. School Department, "Victor Babeş" University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Timisoara, 300041 Timisoara, Romania.
Research Center for Medical Communication, "Victor Babeş" University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Timisoara, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania.
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Sep 3;13(17):2202. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13172202.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Telemedicine offers a potential strategy to support risk factor management in such groups with limited access to care. Our aim was to assess the effectiveness of a telemedicine-supported intervention compared to usual care in improving cardiovascular risk parameters among adults from a socially deprived urban population. In this controlled intervention study, adult patients with one or more cardiovascular risk factors were recruited from a primary care center in a low-income urban neighborhood in Timişoara, Romania. Participants were allocated to either usual care or a six-month telemedicine-supported intervention group. The intervention consisted of regular phone calls by trained staff focusing on medication adherence, self-monitoring of blood pressure and glucose, smoking cessation, and lifestyle advice. No physical visits were delivered. Primary outcomes included changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, and lipid profile. Data were collected at baseline and at six months. A total of 144 patients were allocated to the telemedicine group and 142 to the usual care group. After 6 months, diastolic blood pressure decreased by 3.9 mmHg in the telemedicine group compared to 0.3 mmHg in the standard care group ( < 0.001). LDL-cholesterol was reduced by 18.0 mg/dL with telemedicine versus 5.7 mg/dL with usual care ( < 0.001). In contrast, fasting glucose improved more in the standard care group (-10.9 mg/dL vs. -2.0 mg/dL, < 0.001). Patient satisfaction in the telemedicine group was high, with 84% rating the program as very useful. Basic telemedicine-supported interventions may represent a feasible and effective strategy for improving cardiovascular risk factors such as diastolic blood pressure and LDL-cholesterol in socially deprived populations. High satisfaction suggests strong acceptability; however, given the small sample size, short follow-up, and single-center design, these findings should be interpreted cautiously and confirmed in larger studies.
心血管疾病（CVD）仍然是发病和死亡的主要原因，尤其是在社会经济地位不利的人群中。远程医疗为支持此类获得医疗服务机会有限的群体进行风险因素管理提供了一种潜在策略。我们的目的是评估与常规护理相比，远程医疗支持的干预措施在改善来自社会贫困城市人口的成年人心血管风险参数方面的有效性。在这项对照干预研究中，从罗马尼亚蒂米什瓦拉一个低收入城市社区的初级保健中心招募了患有一种或多种心血管风险因素的成年患者。参与者被分配到常规护理组或为期六个月的远程医疗支持干预组。干预措施包括由经过培训的工作人员定期打电话，重点关注药物依从性、血压和血糖的自我监测、戒烟以及生活方式建议。没有进行实地就诊。主要结局包括收缩压和舒张压、空腹血糖以及血脂谱的变化。在基线和六个月时收集数据。共有144名患者被分配到远程医疗组，142名患者被分配到常规护理组。6个月后，远程医疗组的舒张压下降了3.9 mmHg，而标准护理组下降了0.3 mmHg（<0.001）。远程医疗使低密度脂蛋白胆固醇降低了18.0 mg/dL，而常规护理使其降低了5.7 mg/dL（<0.001）。相比之下，标准护理组的空腹血糖改善更为明显（-10.9 mg/dL对-2.0 mg/dL，<0.001）。远程医疗组的患者满意度很高，84%的患者认为该项目非常有用。基本的远程医疗支持干预措施可能是改善社会贫困人群中心血管风险因素（如舒张压和低密度脂蛋白胆固醇）的一种可行且有效的策略。高满意度表明可接受性强；然而，鉴于样本量小、随访时间短以及单中心设计，这些结果应谨慎解释，并在更大规模的研究中得到证实。
