Postcards to Improve Remote Monitoring Connectivity Among Veterans With a Disconnected Monitor

Objective: To determine the effect on remote monitoring (RM) connectivity of mailing informational postcards to patients with CIEDs who have lost continuous RM connectivity because of a disconnected monitor. Design: Parallel prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT). Setting: Veterans Health Administration. Participants: Randomized selection of all patients with CIEDs whose bedside or smartphone monitor had become disconnected for ≥16 but ≤40 days from the manufacturer's RM service. Exposure: We developed postcards that notified patients about RM disconnection, described RM's clinical benefits, and provided the customer service number of their CIED manufacturer. Twice monthly, we randomized patients to either receive or not receive the postcard. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcome was median time to reconnection.