scholarly journals Patients’ experiences of a nurse-led home-based heart failure self-management programme: Findings from the process evaluation (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenru Wang ◽  
Ying Jiang ◽  
Karen Wei Ling Koh ◽  
Hadassah Joann RAMACHANDRAN ◽  
Yee Kian Tay ◽  
...  

UNSTRUCTURED Aims: To explore participants’ perspectives on a nurse-led home-based heart failure self-management programme (HOM-HEMP) in a randomized controlled trial conducted in Singapore to gain insight into the effectiveness or failure of the study intervention. Design: A descriptive, qualitative approach was adopted. Method: English or Chinese-speaking participants from the intervention arms were recruited through a purposive sampling method from January 2019 to July 2019. Individual, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 participants. All the interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, with the identifiers of the participants omitted to ensure confidentiality. The thematic analysis approach was used for identifying, analyzing and reporting the patterns (themes) within the data. Results: Six themes emerged from the process evaluation interviews and were categorized according to Donabedian’s structure-process-outcome framework as "intervention structure," "intervention process," and "intervention outcome". These six themes were manageability of intervention, areas for improvement, benefits of visiting, personal accountability in self-care, empowered with knowledge and skills in self-care after the intervention, and increased self-efficacy in cardiac care. Conclusion: The findings of the process evaluation provided additional information about participants' perceptions and experiences with the HOM-HEMP intervention. While home visit may be perceived as resource intensive, it remains the preferred way of engagement for most of the elderly patients. The nurse plays an important role in promoting heart failure self-care. The process of interaction with the patient can be an important empowering process for self-care behaviour changes. Impact: Process evaluation is an important step in the evaluation of a complex intervention. It allows researchers and practitioners to better understand the mechanism by which an intervention generates impact. Therefore, future intervention programmes can leverage on these mechanisms and adapt them to different contexts for better intervention effectiveness.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P. Dorsch ◽  
Karen B. Farris ◽  
Brigid E. Rowell ◽  
Scott L. Hummel ◽  
Todd M. Koelling

BACKGROUND Successful management of heart failure (HF) involves guideline based medical therapy as well as self-care behavior. As a result, the management of HF is moving toward a proactive real-time technological model of assisting patients with monitoring and self-management. OBJECTIVE Evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile application intervention that enhances self-monitoring on health-related quality of life, self-management, and reduces HF readmissions. METHODS A single-center randomized controlled trial was performed. Patients greater than 45 years of age and admitted for acute decompensated HF or recently discharged in the past 4 weeks were included. The intervention group used a mobile application (App). The intervention prompted daily self-monitoring and promoted self-management. The control group (No App) received usual care. The primary outcome was the change in Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) from baseline to 6 and 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes were the Self-Care Heart Failure Index (SCHFI) questionnaire and recurrent HF admissions. RESULTS Eighty-three patients were enrolled and completed all baseline assessments. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups with the exception of HF etiology. The App group had a reduced MLHFQ at 6 weeks (37.5 ± 3.5 vs. 48.2 ± 3.7, P=0.039) but not at 12 weeks (44.2 ± 4 vs. 45.9 ± 4, P=0.778) compared to No App. There was no effect of the App on the SCHFI at 6 or 12 weeks. The time to first HF admission was not statistically different between the App versus No App groups (HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.39-2.02, P=0.781) over 12 weeks. CONCLUSIONS The mobile application intervention improved MLHFQ at 6 weeks, but did not sustain its effects at 12 weeks. No effect was seen on HF self-care. Further research is needed to enhance engagement in the application for a longer period of time and to determine if the application can reduce HF admissions in a larger study. CLINICALTRIAL NCT03149510


Open Heart ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e000954 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Hovland-Tånneryd ◽  
Michael Melin ◽  
Ewa Hägglund ◽  
Inger Hagerman ◽  
Hans E Persson

ObjectivesA home-based tool for heart failure (HF) patients, was evaluated in a specialist setting as a randomised controlled trial (RCT) and also in a validation cohort in a primary care setting in a clinical controlled trial (CCT). The tool provides education, symptom monitoring and titration of diuretics. The aim of this study was thus to extend validity of the previous RCT findings in order to describe applicability of the tool in clinical practice.MethodsData from both trials were analysed separately, as well as a pooled data set (n=172). Data were analysed with respect to HF related in-hospital days, self-care behaviour and system adherence, during a 6-month intervention. The analysis of in-hospital days for the pooled data was adjusted for baseline differences between the two study cohorts, relating to disease state.ResultsIn the RCT (n=72) the intervention group (IG) consisted of 32 patients and the control group (CG) of 40 patients. The risk ratio (RR) for in-hospital days was RR: 0.72, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.84, p<0.05 in favour of the IG. In the CCT (n=100) both the IG and the CG consisted of 50 patients and the IG had fewer in-hospitals days, comparable to the RCT findings with RR: 0.67; 95% CI 0.45 to 0.99; p<0.05. For the pooled data set made up of 172 patients, the groups were well balanced but with a higher prevalence of hypertension in the CG. The RR relating to in-hospital days for the pooled data set was 0.71; 95% CI 0.61 to 0.82; p<0.05 in favour of the IG. There was a statistically significant improvement in self-care by 27% and the median system adherence was 94%.ConclusionsThese analyses suggest that the evaluated tool might reduce HF related in-hospital days in the general HF population, which adds to the external validity of previous findings.Clinical Trial RegistrationNCT03655496.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
D.S Sahlin ◽  
S Gerward

Abstract Background A common heart failure (HF) aetiology is hypertension (HTN), second only to ischemic heart disease and with a prevalence in the HF community of between 62% and 84%, depending on sex and ejection-fraction. Undertreated HTN leads to worse prognosis and resistant HTN is defined as blood pressure (BP) exceeding 140/90 mmHg, in spite of pharmacological treatment. Since one constituent of self-care behaviour is treatment adherence, we wished to study whether patients exposed to a digital intervention shown to improve self-care behaviour, would also display improved BP control. Methods SMART-HF was a randomized controlled trial, recruiting patients from seven centres in Region Skåne in southern Sweden, where patients in the intervention group (IG) were equipped with a digital home-based tool, designed to enhance self-care behaviour for HF-patients and the control group (CG) were subject to standard care. BP data was registered at baseline and after eight months of intervention and self-care behaviour was measured using the European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour Scale (EHFScB). We used a Chi-square test to analyse whether there was an inter-group difference of prevalence of resistant HTN or a mean arterial pressure (MAP) outside the recommended range of 60 mmHg &lt; MAP &lt;100 mmHg. Results Out of the 118 patients included in the original analysis, 92 (78%) had complete BP measurements. At baseline there was no difference in self-care behaviour between the groups, with CG: 25 [17.5; 32] and IG: 24.5 [18; 30], p=0.61, and 28% of the CG patients and 24% of the IG population displayed resistant HTN, p=0.73. After eight months of intervention the IG had 21% (or 4.5 points) better self-care behaviour compared to the CG, p=0.014, and the fraction of patients with resistant HTN was 30% for the CG and 11% for the IG, p=0.027. There was also a significant effect on the fraction of patients having a MAP &gt;100 mmHg, with 22% in the CG versus 16% in the IG having MAP &gt;100 mmHg at baseline (p=0.39) and 19% in the CG versus 0% in the IG at follow-up (p=0.002). Conclusions There was a significant improvement in self-care behaviour and also a significant reduction in the number of patients with resistant hypertension and elevated mean arterial pressure after eight months of intervention. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 185-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Luhr ◽  
Ann C Eldh ◽  
Kersti Theander ◽  
Marie Holmefur

Background: Self-management strategies are crucial to patients with long-term conditions and can presumably promote patient participation, given that to patients, patient participation connotes opportunities for self-care (along with being engaged in an exchange of knowledge, a phrasing of joint goals and planning of care). So far, limited attention has been given to what components support self-management and what outcomes can be achieved. An exclusive self-management programme in primary healthcare entailed assessing its influence on patient participation. Aim: To describe the effects of a self-management programme on preferences for, and experiences of, patient participation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or chronic heart failure. Methods: A randomized controlled trial with a six session intervention programme, including phrasing of individual action plans and group discussions on the patients’ issues. The intervention group ( n=59) received standard care and the self-management programme, and the control group ( n=59) received standard care only. Data was collected at baseline and at three months and 12 months after the intervention started, using the Patient Preferences for Patient Participation (the 4Ps) measure. Results: No significant differences were found within the groups, or between the groups, in preferences and experiences of patient participation, either in summary score or at an item level. Conclusion: A self-management group programme led by trained primary healthcare staff in primary care did not serve as means to influence patients’ experience of patient participation in the care of their long-term condition. Further studies are needed in regard to what facilitates patient participation in this setting and beyond.


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