Telemedicine and mortality reduction during COVID-19: telemonitoring as a key strategy for emergency health care preparedness

Introduction: Telemedicine, particularly remote monitoring, offers a promising approach to enhance health care. This study evaluated the impact of the Operations Center for Discharged Patients (COD19) telemonitoring service on COVID-19 patient mortality during the pandemic, exploring telemedicine’s potential in managing severe health emergencies. Patients and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on COVID-19 patients in home isolation, divided into telemonitoring and non-telemonitoring groups. All-cause mortality was the primary outcome. The COD19 provided active surveillance for the telemonitoring group. Results: The study included 6,017 patients: 2,431 telemonitored and 3,586 non-telemonitored. Telemonitored patients were older and had more comorbidities, including cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and a higher risk of hospitalization. Critically, mortality was significantly lower in the telemonitored group (1.3\% vs. 2.9\%, p < 0.001). Multivariable analysis confirmed telemonitoring’s significant reduction of death risk, while age, sex, and comorbidities increased it. Conclusions: Proactive at-home telemonitoring correlates with reduced mortality in COVID-19 patients. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted telemedicine’s potential as a vital strategy for emergency health care readiness.