Introducing Home Telemanagement of Congestive Heart Failure Using Xbox Gaming Platform

Gaming platforms enjoy growing recognition as useful means to facilitate consumer health. The potential of such widely used platforms as Xbox for self-management of chronic health conditions has not yet been fully uncovered. We developed a Home Automated Telemanagement (HAT) system which utilizes Xbox to access personal health record, receive self-care support, and exchange information with health care providers. The system questions patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) to monitor symptoms, weight changes, and quality of life while educating the patient on their disease. The system is designed to run on the Microsoft Xbox videogame console using an active internet connection and a connection to a computer running Windows Media Center. It questions the patient daily on their condition, monitors their weight, and provides the patient with instant feedback on their condition in the form of a 3 zone CHF action plan. The system is designed to be as simple as possible, making it usable by patients with no prior computer or videogame experience. This telemanagement system has been successfully designed and implemented to optimize the care of patients with CHF.