Smartphone app as a follow-up tool after cardiac rehabilitation: Single-arm feasibility study (Preprint)
BACKGROUND Long-term maintenance of preventive activities is fundamental for achieving improved outcomes of cardiac rehabilitation (CR). Despite this, it is shown to be a major challenge for many patients to follow recommendations and thereby adhere to a heart-friendly lifestyle. Smartphone applications (apps) have been emphasized as potential tools to promote preventive activities after attendance in a CR program. Before commencing a trial to assess the potential effect of using an app for long-term adherence to preventive activities after attendance in CR, a study to assess the feasibility of the intervention is warranted. OBJECTIVE To assess the feasibility of an intervention where an app is used as a tool enabling individualized and monitored follow-up for patients after attendance in a CR program. METHODS Experimental, pre-post single arm trial, lasting for 12 weeks. All patients received access to an app aimed to guide people to change or to maintain a heart friendly lifestyle. During the study period, they got weekly, individualized follow-up through the app, based on their own goalsetting. Feasibility outcome assessed were adherence to the intervention, recruitment rate, resource requirements and efficacy regarding capability to detect a difference on quality of life (QoL), health status and perceived goal achievement as well as evaluating ceiling and floor effect in these outcomes. Criteria’s for success were preset to be able to evaluate whether the intervention were feasible in a potential future RCT. RESULTS All 14 patients included in the study used the app to promote preventive activities throughout the study. Satisfaction with the technology were high and the patients found the technology based follow-up intervention both useful and motivational. In total, 71% of the patients completed CR were eligible for a potential RCT as well as for the present study. Ceiling effect was achieved in more than 50% of the patients in questionnaires evaluating quality of life (SF-36 and COOP/WONCA) and health status (EQ-5D). Overall self-rated health status (EQ VAS) and perceived goal achievement were found to be able to detect a difference through the study. CONCLUSIONS Individual follow-up intervention through an app after attendance in CR is feasible. All patients used the app for preventive activities and found the follow-up intervention through an app as both useful and motivating for adherence to a heart-friendly lifestyle. Several points of guidance from the patients in the current study has been taken along and have contributed to the final design of the RCT now in the field.