Mobile health technology in atrial fibrillation

INTRODUCTION: Mobile health (mHealth) solutions in atrial fibrillation (AF) are becoming widespread, thanks to everyday life devices, such as smartphones. Their use is validated both in monitoring and in screening scenarios. In the published literature, the diagnostic accuracy of mHealth solutions wide differs, and their current clinical use is not well established in principal guidelines.

AREAS COVERED: mHealth solutions have progressively built an AF-detection chain to guide patients from the device's alert signal to the health-care practitioners' (HCPs) attention. This review aims to critically evaluate the latest evidence regarding mHealth devices and the future possible patient's uses in everyday life.

EXPERT OPINION: The patients are the first to be informed of the rhythm anomaly, leading to the urgency of increasing the patients' AF self-management. Furthermore, HCPs need to update themselves about mHealth devices use in clinical practice. Nevertheless, these are promising instruments in specific populations, such as post-stroke patients, to promote an early arrhythmia diagnosis in the post-ablation/cardioversion period, allowing checks on the efficacy of the treatment or intervention.