scholarly journals An Internet-Based Intervention for Cardiovascular Disease Management Integrated With Primary Care Electronic Health Records: Mixed Methods Evaluation of Implementation Fidelity and User Engagement

10.2196/25333 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. e25333
Author(s):  
Genevieve Coorey ◽  
David Peiris ◽  
Anish Scaria ◽  
John Mulley ◽  
Lis Neubeck ◽  
...  

Background Growing evidence supports the benefits of eHealth interventions to increase patient engagement and improve outcomes for a range of conditions. However, ineffective program delivery and usage attrition limit exposure to these interventions and may reduce their effectiveness. Objective This study aims to evaluate the delivery fidelity of an eHealth intervention, describe use patterns, compare outcomes between low and high users, and identify mediating factors on intervention delivery and receipt. Methods This is a mixed methods study of an internet-based intervention being evaluated for effectiveness in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). The intervention comprised medication and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk data uploaded from the primary care electronic health record (EHR); interactive, personalized CVD risk score estimation; goal setting and self-monitoring; an interactive social forum; and optional receipt of heart health messages. Fidelity was assessed over 12 months. Trial outcomes were compared between low and high users. Data sources included program delivery records, web log data, trial data, and thematic analysis of communication records. Results Most participants in the intervention group (451/486, 93%) had an initial training session conducted by telephone (413/447, 92.4% of participants trained), with a mean duration of 44 minutes (range 10-90 minutes). Staff conducted 98.45% (1776/1804) of the expected follow-ups, mostly by telephone or email. Of the 451 participants who commenced log-ins, 46.8% (211) were categorized as low users (defined as at least one log-in in 3 or fewer months of follow-up), 40.4% (182) were categorized as high users (at least one log-in in more than 3 months of follow-up), and 12.8% (58) were nonadopters (no log-ins after their training session). The mean log-in frequency was 3-4 per month in ongoing users. There was no significant difference between the groups in the primary trial outcome of adherence to guideline-recommended medications (P=.44). In unadjusted analyses, high users had significantly greater eHealth literacy scores (P=.003) and were more likely to meet recommended weekly targets for fruit (P=.03) and fish (P=.004) servings; however, the adjusted findings were not significant. Interactive screen use was highest for goal tracking and lowest for the chat forum. Screens with EHR-derived data held only an early interest for most users. Fidelity measures (reach, content, dose delivered, and dose received) were influenced by the facilitation strategies used by staff, invisible qualities of staff-participant communication, and participants’ responsiveness to intervention attributes. Conclusions A multifeature internet-based intervention was delivered with high fidelity to the RCT protocol and was regularly used by 40.4% (182/451) of users over 12 months. Higher log-in frequency as an indicator of greater intervention exposure was not associated with statistically significant improvements in eHealth literacy scores, lifestyle changes, or clinical outcomes. Attributes of the intervention and individualized support influenced initial and ongoing use.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Genevieve Coorey ◽  
David Peiris ◽  
Anish Scaria ◽  
John Mulley ◽  
Lis Neubeck ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Growing evidence supports the benefits of eHealth interventions to increase patient engagement and improve outcomes for a range of conditions. However, ineffective program delivery and usage attrition limit exposure to these interventions and may reduce their effectiveness. OBJECTIVE This study aims to evaluate the delivery fidelity of an eHealth intervention, describe use patterns, compare outcomes between low and high users, and identify mediating factors on intervention delivery and receipt. METHODS This is a mixed methods study of an internet-based intervention being evaluated for effectiveness in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). The intervention comprised medication and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk data uploaded from the primary care electronic health record (EHR); interactive, personalized CVD risk score estimation; goal setting and self-monitoring; an interactive social forum; and optional receipt of heart health messages. Fidelity was assessed over 12 months. Trial outcomes were compared between low and high users. Data sources included program delivery records, web log data, trial data, and thematic analysis of communication records. RESULTS Most participants in the intervention group (451/486, 93%) had an initial training session conducted by telephone (413/447, 92.4% of participants trained), with a mean duration of 44 minutes (range 10-90 minutes). Staff conducted 98.45% (1776/1804) of the expected follow-ups, mostly by telephone or email. Of the 451 participants who commenced log-ins, 46.8% (211) were categorized as low users (defined as at least one log-in in 3 or fewer months of follow-up), 40.4% (182) were categorized as high users (at least one log-in in more than 3 months of follow-up), and 12.8% (58) were nonadopters (no log-ins after their training session). The mean log-in frequency was 3-4 per month in ongoing users. There was no significant difference between the groups in the primary trial outcome of adherence to guideline-recommended medications (<i>P</i>=.44). In unadjusted analyses, high users had significantly greater eHealth literacy scores (<i>P</i>=.003) and were more likely to meet recommended weekly targets for fruit (<i>P</i>=.03) and fish (<i>P</i>=.004) servings; however, the adjusted findings were not significant. Interactive screen use was highest for goal tracking and lowest for the chat forum. Screens with EHR-derived data held only an early interest for most users. Fidelity measures (reach, content, dose delivered, and dose received) were influenced by the facilitation strategies used by staff, <i>invisible</i> qualities of staff-participant communication, and participants’ responsiveness to intervention attributes. CONCLUSIONS A multifeature internet-based intervention was delivered with high fidelity to the RCT protocol and was regularly used by 40.4% (182/451) of users over 12 months. Higher log-in frequency as an indicator of greater intervention exposure was not associated with statistically significant improvements in eHealth literacy scores, lifestyle changes, or clinical outcomes. Attributes of the intervention and individualized support influenced initial and ongoing use. CLINICALTRIAL


Sexual Health ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek Chan ◽  
David Gracey ◽  
Michael Bailey ◽  
Deborah Richards ◽  
Brad Dalton

Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is common in HIV infection. With no specific Australian guidelines for the screening and management of CVD in HIV-infected patients, best clinical practice is based on data from the general population. We evaluated adherence to these recommendations by primary care physicians who treat HIV-infected patients. Methods: Primary care physicians with a special interest in HIV infection were asked to complete details for at least 10 consecutive patient encounters using structured online forms. This included management practices pertaining to blood pressure (BP), blood glucose, electrocardiogram, lipid profile and CVD risk calculations. We assessed overall adherence to screening and follow-up recommendations as suggested by national and international guidelines. Results: Between May 2009 and March 2010, 43 physicians from 25 centres completed reporting for 530 HIV-infected patients, of whom 93% were male, 25% were aged 41–50 years and 83% were treated with antiretrovirals. Risk factors for CVD were common and included smoking (38%), hyperlipidaemia (16%) and hypertension (28%). In men aged >40 years and women aged >50 years without evidence of ischaemic heart disease, only 14% received a CVD risk assessment. Lipid and BP assessments were performed in 87% and 88% of patients, respectively. Conclusions: This Australian audit provides unique information on the characteristics and management of HIV and CVD in clinical practice. We have found a high burden of risk for CVD in HIV-infected Australians, but current screening and management practices in these patients fall short of contemporary guidelines.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1407
Author(s):  
Jihyun Im ◽  
Kyong Park

The association between soy food and soy isoflavone intake and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is uncertain, especially in women. We aimed to investigate this association in Korean women. We analyzed data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study, including 4713 Korean women aged 40–69 years with no CVD or cancer at baseline. Dietary information was obtained using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and the incidence of CVD was assessed using biennial self-reported questionnaires on medical history. The mean follow-up time was 7.4 years, during which 82 premenopausal and 200 postmenopausal women reported CVD incidence. The highest tofu, total soy foods, and dietary soy isoflavone intake groups were significantly associated with a decreased CVD risk in premenopausal women (tofu: hazard ratio (HR) 0.39; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.19–0.80; total soy food: HR 0.36; 95% CI, 0.18–0.70; dietary soy isoflavones: HR 0.44; 95% CI, 0.22–0.89), whereas no association was observed in postmenopausal women. Other soy foods showed no association with CVD incidence. Dietary soy isoflavones and total soy foods are associated with a decreased CVD risk in premenopausal women. Among soy foods, only tofu showed significant health benefits.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Koohi ◽  
Davood Khalili ◽  
Mohammad Ali Mansournia ◽  
Farzad Hadaegh ◽  
Hamid Soori

Abstract Background Understanding the distinct patterns (trajectories) of variation in blood lipid levels before diagnosing cardiovascular disease (CVD) might carry important implications for improving disease prevention or treatment. Methods We investigated 14,373 participants (45.5% men) aged 45–84 from two large US prospective cohort studies with a median of 23 years follow-up. First, we jointly estimated developmental trajectories of lipid indices, including low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglyceride (TG) concentrations using group-based multi-trajectory modeling. Then, the association of identified multi-trajectories with incident CVD, heart failure, and all-cause mortality were examined using Cox proportional hazard model. Results Seven distinct multi-trajectories were identified. The majority of participants (approximately 80%) exhibited decreasing LDL-C but rising TG levels and relatively stable HDL-C levels. Compared to the individuals with healthy and stable LDL-C, HDL-C, and TG levels, those in other groups were at significant risk of incident CVD after adjusting for other conventional risk factors. Individuals with the highest but decreasing LDL-C and borderline high and rising TG levels over time were at the highest risk than those in other groups with a 2.22-fold risk of CVD. Also, those with the highest and increased triglyceride levels over time, over optimal and decreasing LDL-C levels, and the lowest HDL-C profile had a nearly 1.84 times CVD risk. Even individuals in the multi-trajectory group with the highest HDL-C, optimal LDL-C, and optimal TG levels had a significant risk (HR, 1.45; 95% CI 1.02–2.08). Furthermore, only those with the highest HDL-C profile increased the risk of heart failure by 1.5-fold (95% CI 1.07–2.06). Conclusions The trajectories and risk of CVD identified in this study demonstrated that despite a decline in LDL-C over time, a significant amount of residual risk for CVD remains. These findings suggest the impact of the increasing trend of TG on CVD risk and emphasize the importance of assessing the lipid levels at each visit and undertaking potential interventions that lower triglyceride concentrations to reduce the residual risk of CVD, even among those with the optimal LDL-C level.


2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 238-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Martinez-Gomez ◽  
Irene Esteban-Cornejo ◽  
Esther Lopez-Garcia ◽  
Esther García-Esquinas ◽  
Kabir P Sadarangani ◽  
...  

ObjectivesWe examined the dose–response relationship between physical activity (PA) and incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in adults in Taiwan.MethodsThis study included 1 98 919 participants, aged 18–97 years, free of CVD, cancer and diabetes at baseline (1997–2013), who were followed until 2016. At baseline, participants were classified into five PA levels: inactive’ (0 metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-h/week), ‘lower insufficiently active’ (0.1–3.75 MET-h/week), ‘upper insufficiently active’ (3.75–7.49 MET-h/week), ‘active’ (7.5–14.99 MET-h/week) and ‘highly active’ (≥15 MET-h/week]. CVD risk factors were assessed at baseline and at follow-up by physical examination and laboratory tests. Analyses were performed with Cox regression and adjusted for the main confounders.ResultsDuring a mean follow-up of 6.0±4.5 years (range 0.5–19 years), 20 447 individuals developed obesity, 19 619 hypertension, 21 592 hypercholesterolaemia, 14 164 atherogenic dyslipidaemia, 24 275 metabolic syndrome and 8548 type 2 diabetes. Compared with inactive participants, those in the upper insufficiently active (but not active) category had a lower risk of obesity (HR 0.92; 95% CI 0.88 to 0.95), atherogenic dyslipidaemia (0.96; 0.90 to 0.99), metabolic syndrome (0.95; 0.92 to 0.99) and type 2 diabetes (0.91; 0.86 to 0.97). Only highly active individuals showed a lower incidence of CVD risk factors than their upper insufficiently active counterparts.ConclusionCompared with being inactive, doing half the recommended amount of PA is associated with a lower incidence of several common biological CVD risk factors. Given these benefits, half the recommended amount of PA is an evidence based target for inactive adults.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 135-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shafika Abrahams-Gessel ◽  
Andrea Beratarrechea ◽  
Vilma Irazola ◽  
Laura Gutierrez ◽  
Daniela Moyano ◽  
...  

IntroductionCardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for approximately one-third of Argentina’s deaths. Despite government provision of free primary care health services to the uninsured population, with a focus on non-communicable diseases, screening and management of those with high CVD risk at primary care clinics (PCCs) remain low.Methods and analysisThis pragmatic cluster randomised trial will take place in two provinces of Argentina and will recruit 740 participants. Eight PCCs will be randomised to either the intervention or current practice arm. Community health workers (CHWs) in the intervention arm will be trained to use a set of integrated mHealth tools (a validated risk screening tool mobile application; electronic scheduling system using wireless access to PCCs; and educational text messages) to screen for CVD and to schedule appointments with primary care providers for persons with high CVD risk (≥10%). The primary aims of this study are to determine if the use of mHealth tools will (1) increase attendance of first appointments scheduled by CHWs for persons determined to have high risk for CVD during screening and, (2) lead to an increase in follow-up visits at PCCs by high risk patients. Secondary outcomes include assessing the proportion of high-risk patients receiving appropriate medications and a cost-effective analysis of the intervention.Ethics and disseminationThis study has been approved by the Institutional Review Boards at Partners/Brigham and Women’s Hospital (USA) and the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires (Argentina). The open-source software for the mHealth tools will be made publicly available at the end of the study.Trial registration numberNCT02913339.


2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 1163-1170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kreton Mavromatis ◽  
Konstantinos Aznaouridis ◽  
Ibhar Al Mheid ◽  
Emir Veledar ◽  
Saurabh Dhawan ◽  
...  

Vascular injury mobilizes bone marrow–derived proangiogenic cells into the circulation, where these cells can facilitate vascular repair and new vessel formation. We sought to determine the relationship between a new biomarker of circulating bone marrow–derived proangiogenic cell activity, the presence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors, and clinical outcomes. Circulating proangiogenic cell activity was estimated using a reproducible angiogenic colony-forming unit (CFU-A) assay in 532 clinically stable subjects aged 20 to 90 years and ranging in the CVD risk spectrum from those who are healthy without risk factors to those with active CVD. CFU-A counts increased with the burden of CVD risk factors ( p < 0.001). CFU-A counts were higher in subjects with symptomatic CVD than in those without ( p < 0.001). During follow-up of 232 subjects with CVD, CFU-A counts were higher in those with death, myocardial infarction, or stroke than in those without (110 [70–173] vs 84 [51–136], p = 0.01). Therefore, we conclude that circulating proangiogenic cell activity, as estimated by CFU-A counts, increases with CVD risk factor burden and in the presence of established CVD. Furthermore, higher circulating proangiogenic cell activity is associated with worse clinical outcome in those with CVD.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 141 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nour Makarem ◽  
Cecilia Castro-Diehl ◽  
Marie-Pierre St-Onge ◽  
Susan Redline ◽  
Steven Shea ◽  
...  

Background: The AHA Life’s Simple 7 (LS7) is a measure of cardiovascular health (CVH). Sufficient and healthy sleep has been linked to higher LS7 scores and lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, but sleep has not been included as a CVH metric. Hypothesis: A CVH score that includes the LS7 plus sleep metrics would be more strongly associated with CVD outcomes than the LS7 score. Methods: Participants were n=1920 diverse adults (mean age: 69.5 y) in the MESA Sleep Study who completed 7 days of wrist actigraphy, overnight in-home polysomnography, and sleep questionnaires. Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare the LS7 score and 4 new CVH scores that incorporate aspects of sleep in relation to CVD prevalence and incidence (Table). There were 95 prevalent CVD events at the Sleep Exam and 93 incident cases during a mean follow up of 4.4y. Results: The mean LS7 score was 7.3, and the means of the alternate CVH scores ranged from 7.4 to 7.8. Overall, 63% of participants slept <7h, 10% had sleep efficiency <85%, 14% and 36% reported excess daytime sleepiness and insomnia, respectively, 47% had obstructive sleep apnea, and 39% and 25% had high night-to-night variability in sleep duration and sleep onset timing. The LS7 score was not significantly associated with CVD prevalence or incidence (Table). Those in the highest vs. lowest tertile of CVH score 1, that included sleep duration, and CVH score 2, that included sleep characteristics linked to CVD in the literature, had lower odds of prevalent CVD. Those in the highest vs. lowest tertile of CVH scores 3 and 4, which included sleep characteristics linked to cardiovascular risk in MESA, had lower odds of prevalent CVD and lower risk of developing CVD. Conclusions: CVH scores that include sleep were more strongly associated with CVD prevalence and incidence than the traditional LS7 score. The incorporation of sleep as a metric of CVH, akin to other health behaviors, may improve CVD risk prediction. Findings warrant confirmation in larger samples and over longer follow-up.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan King ◽  
Dalia Giedrimiene

Recent improvements in survival and management of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) have resulted from timely use of medications such as beta blockers according to established guidelines. Without medical care provided by a primary care physician (PCP), patients may experience a significant healthcare disparity leading to CVD risk factors not being addressed or not receiving effective preventative therapies. If patients do not have a PCP, then their risk of experiencing CVD complications including an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) may be increased without access to appropriate treatment. We hypothesized that the utilization of preventative therapy depends on patient’s ability to have a PCP. Patients who do not have a PCP are less likely to receive a timely prescription of a beta blocker. Data for this study was collected through a retrospective chart review for 250 patients who presented to the Hartford Hospital Emergency Department for an AMI and were subsequently admitted between August 1, 2016 and April 30, 2018. A Chi square, independent t-test, and logistic regression were used for statistical analysis. A total of 17 patients were excluded due to incomplete documentation. The mean age of 233 patients was 64.64 ± 14.03 years old (range 26-89, males-144, females-89). There were 179 (76.8%) of these patients who had a documented PCP. Out of those with a PCP there were 104 (72.2%, of 144) males as compared to 75 (84.3%, of 89) females, p<0.034. Of the 223 with confirmed information about a beta blocker prescription there were 116 (52.0%) using a beta blocker before this admission for AMI and 99 (85.3%, of 116) of them had a PCP. There were 69 (59.5%, of 116) men and 47 (40.5%, of 116) women using a beta blocker. The mean age of patients using a beta blocker was 69.38 ± 12.9 years vs. 58.99 ± 13.08 years for those without a prescription (p < 0.001). A significant association was also found using logistic regression between PCP status and age groups (> 55 y vs < 55 y), p=0.032, gender, p=0.047, and beta blocker use, p=0.018. Our study shows that being prescribed a beta blocker significantly depends on the patient’s ability to have a PCP. Our study shows that among subjects with AMI, having access to a PCP is an important factor in being prescribed a beta blocker. Identifying barriers to PCP access may improve prevention measures and help bridge disparities resulting in major cardiac events such as myocardial infarction.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document