Balk 2008.

Methods	Randomised controlled trial; intervention arm and control (usual care) arm.
Participants	214 patients with CHF and NYHA class I ‐ IV. Mean age 66 years. 70% of participants were men. The Netherlands.
Interventions	Telemonitoring. Participants in the Intervention group were provided a MOTIVA system (TV‐channel providing educational material, reminders of medication, health‐related surveys and motivational messages to encourage the prescribed lifestyle regimen) in addition to scheduled cardiologist appointments. A subgroup of intervention participants also received automated BP and weight devices that automatically communicated readings via the telephone (those who had been hospitalised in the prior year for HF). Participaent guidance followed a personalised plan.
Outcomes	288 days ‐ mean follow‐up. All‐cause hospital days per year, days alive and out of hospital, quality of life, knowledge of disease, self care.
Funding source	Study proposed and funded by the healthcare insurance company Achmea. Philips‐ provision of the MOTIVA system.
Comparison Group(s)	Control participants were followed by their cardiologists and HF nurses according to standard local practice. All participants recorded all contacts with healthcare professionals and hospital admissions.
Notes	Included in previous version of review (Inglis 2010).
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Low risk	Quote: "Randomisation was performed in a 1:1 ratio, in randomly permuted blocks of 30 per participating centre. Randomisation was independently performed...via a special Web‐based application".
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Not detailed.
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Not detailed.
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Low risk	No evidence of incomplete outcome data.
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	No evidence of selective outcome reporting.