As the use of "connected technology" in health care continues to expand, a variety of new studies suggest that the advances it brings are improving the quality of care for heart patients.

Connected technology refers to a number of different systems designed to keep patients and health care professionals in contact via automated systems used to track vital signs, physical parameters (like temperature, urine output, and blood hormone levels), and changes in treatment. These systems automatically gather data from patients and transmit them back to the doctor's office for review.

Though they sound sophisticated, these systems are actually fairly inexpensive, and represent a repurposing of existing technology that is commonly used in everyday life.

Data from 11 research studies, presented at a recent telemedicine conference, suggests that heart patients around the nation are benefiting from the use of these technologies. One study, which tracked participants in the Connected Cardiac Care Program, found that patients who participated had improved overall health and lower rates of hospital admissions. The program collects vital signs and symptom reports on a daily basis and transmits them to a central location for review. Any potential problems can be evaluated quickly, without the need for more invasive measures.

One hundred percent of the patients participating in the program gave the system positive reviews and said it helped to improve their quality of life and health care satisfaction.