Clinical Impact of Digital Health Interventions with Educational Components for Patients with Heart Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a major global health issue, with high morbidity, death, and frequent hospital readmissions. Digital health interventions with educational components may improve clinical outcomes in HF, but the variability observed across studies has not yet been assessed through systematic review and meta-analysis in this population. Objective: To examine the impact of digital health interventions containing an identifiable patient-education component on all-cause mortality, hospital readmissions, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adults with HF. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 standards. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published between January 2015 and June 2025 were identified using PubMed and manual searches. Studies including adults with HF who had received digital health interventions with educational component using mobile apps, web-based platforms, tele-education, or digital therapies were eligible for the research. Primary outcomes included all-cause mortality, hospital readmission, and HRQoL. Risk ratios (RR) and mean differences (MD) were aggregated using fixed- or random-effects models, depending on heterogeneity. Results: Twenty-six RCTs involving diverse international cohorts were included. Digital health with education interventions were associated with lower all-cause mortality (RR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.66–0.97; p = 0.02). Hospital readmission risk was also lower in intervention groups (RR = 0.88; 95% CI: 0.79–0.99; p = 0.03) compared with standard of care (SoC). For heart-failure–specific HRQoL, KCCQ scores did not differ significantly between digital health with education and SoC (10 studies; 1528 participants; MD = 2.28; 95% CI: −1.61 to 6.18; I2 = 46%). MLHFQ scores favored intervention (seven studies; 3400 participants; directionally harmonized MD = 4.60; 95% CI: 0.69–8.52; I2 = 85%). Conclusions: Digital health interventions with educational components offer clinically significant advantages for patients with HF, decreasing mortality and readmissions while enhancing selected HRQoL metrics. These findings may support the integration of digital education into multidisciplinary HF care. Future studies should concentrate on standardizing intervention components, testing for long-term viability, and determining cost-effectiveness.