The impact of patient education on knowledge, attitudes, and cardiac rehabilitation attendance among patients with coronary artery disease

Knowledge, attitude and practice in patients with non-obstructive coronary ischaemia in Xinjiang: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of patients with ischaemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries (INOCA) toward their condition.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study using questionnaires to assess KAP scores among patients with INOCA.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients with INOCA from the Xinjiang region of China were enrolled between September 2023 and February 2024.

INTERVENTIONS

Data were collected via structured questionnaires covering demographic information and KAP metrics.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Mean KAP scores were analysed. Correlation analyses and path analysis examined relationships among KAP components, influencing factors and indirect effects.

RESULTS

A total of 498 questionnaires were analysed (mean age of participants 54.13±10.91, 59.04% women). The mean KAP scores were 4.41±1.78 (possible range: 0-7 points), 21.29±3.40 (possible range: 6-30 points) and 26.91±6.37 (possible range: 8-40 points), respectively. Spearman correlation analysis found significant correlations between knowledge and attitude (r=0.4954, p<0.001), knowledge and practice (r=0.4589, p<0.001) and attitude and practice (r=0.5959, p<0.001). Path analysis indicated that attitude, income and drinking had direct effects on practice. Knowledge influenced practice both directly and indirectly. Indirect effects on practice were also noted for family history of INOCA, residence, marital status, coronary vascular examination and smoking.

CONCLUSIONS

This study reveals suboptimal KAP levels among patients with INOCA in Xinjiang, China, highlighting an urgent need for improved patient education and disease management strategies to enhance understanding and coping with INOCA.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice toward coronary heart disease secondary prevention among coronary heart disease patients in Shanghai, China

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward coronary heart disease (CHD) secondary prevention among CHD patients.

METHODS

This web-based cross-sectional study enrolled patients with CHD who visited the Yangpu District Central Hospital in Shanghai (China) between October 18, 2022, and March 25, 2023. The administered questionnaire assessed demographic information and KAP; factors associated with good practice were identified by multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

A total of 507 participants were included in the study, with 361 (71.2%) being male. In terms of education, 125 (24.7%) had a junior high school level or below. The mean scores for knowledge, attitudes, and practices were 31.28 ± 7.30 (possible range: 0-42), 54.09 ± 3.33 (possible range: 12-60), and 35.48 ± 3.36 (possible range: 11-55), respectively. For specific knowledge items on CHD, 57.6% of participants correctly identified that women are more susceptible to CHD. Physical labor and emotional excitement as triggers for CHD were correctly recognized by 94.1%. The need for long-term medication and follow-up after a CHD diagnosis had the highest correctness rate at 98.8%. Additionally, 84.6% correctly understood that recurrence of CHD is possible after PCI surgery. Multivariate analysis indicated that smoking and diabetes status were significantly associated with Practice scores. Current smokers reported lower practice levels than never smokers (OR = 2.858, 95% CI: 1.442-5.662, P = 0.003). Participants with diabetes reported higher practice levels than those without diabetes (OR = 4.169, 95% CI: 2.329-7.463, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with CHD in Shanghai, China, demonstrated good knowledge and positive attitudes toward CHD secondary prevention, although there were some gaps in actual practice behaviors. Enhancing targeted educational interventions and support systems in clinical settings may help bridge these gaps and improve adherence to recommended preventive practices.

From need to action: decoding the role of motivation in adherence to home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise in chronic heart failure patients

BACKGROUND

Adherence to home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise remains suboptimal, and motivation may be the intrinsic driving force. This study aimed to explore the role of exercise regulatory motivation in mediating the relationship between psychological needs and exercise adherence among chronic heart failure patients, and to develop a mechanism model.

METHODS

This study adopted an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. A hypothesized model of adherence behavior was developed. A survey was used to test the theory-driven model. A semi-structured interview delved deeper into chronic heart failure patients' experiences with HBCR exercise, identifying reasons behind significant mediation effects and refining the mechanism model.

RESULTS

A total of 248 eligible chronic heart failure patients participated in the quantitative study. Exercise regulatory motivation partially mediated the relationship between psychological needs and exercise adherence. In the qualitative study, 18 chronic heart failure patients from the quantitative sample were purposefully selected. Five sub-themes emerged from the textual data, which were distilled into two overarching themes: "Specific Functions of Pathway Variables" and "Reasons for Mediation Path Significance." Integrating the qualitative and quantitative results, it was found that satisfying patients' psychological needs for exercise activates regulatory motivation, which in turn triggers sustained exercise behavior. As motivation becomes increasingly internalized, patients are able to set clear goals and maintain or adjust their home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise over the long term.

CONCLUSION

From a health psychology perspective, this study is the first to reveal the role of exercise regulatory motivation in linking psychological needs and exercise adherence among chronic heart failure patients, ultimately developing a mechanism model.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER

Not applicable.

Impact of a patient-centered tool to reduce misconceptions about coronary artery disease and its treatment: The CAD roadmap

Objective

Health misinformation is common and can lead to harmful behaviors such as medication non-adherence. We assessed the impact of a novel patient educational tool focused on overcoming misconceptions among patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods

We developed the CAD Roadmap, an educational tool aimed at explaining the disease trajectory and overcoming common disease misconceptions (such as that statin medications are not beneficial). We designed a pilot survey to assess patients' 1) CAD-related knowledge, 2) medication-taking behavior, and 3) acceptability of the Roadmap. Survey participants were recruited online. CAD knowledge scores were compared with repeated measures t-tests.

Results

Among 114 patients with CAD (mean age 67 years, 63% male), average CAD-related knowledge was 79.0% pre-test and 89.7% after review of the CAD Roadmap (p < .001). After review of the Roadmap, 24% indicated they planned to take their medications more regularly, 93% agreed it was helpful in understanding medication benefits, and 77% felt more empowered to participate in medical decisions.

Conclusion

The CAD Roadmap was evaluated positively, improved disease-related knowledge, and has the potential to improve adherence to treatments.

Innovation

Unlike many other interventions, the CAD Roadmap is specifically designed to overcome common misconceptions to improve health behaviors.

Psychological barriers to adherence to pharmacological treatment of cardiovascular risk conditions in healthcare workers

Introduction

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death globally. This burden of disease is particularly high among healthcare workers (HCW). However, adherence to treatment of well-known cardiovascular risk conditions (CRC) still represents a challenge, even among healthcare workers (HCW). Since the identification of modifiable related factors is a prerequisite for developing effective public health interventions, the purpose of this study was to develop a predictive model for adherence to pharmacological treatment (APT) for CRC in HCW, using psychological variables related to CVD mortality, such as the type A behavior pattern, perceived stress, depression, anxiety and attitudes toward treatment adherence.

Methods

An anonymous online survey was completed by a non-probabilistic sample of 1,377 Mexican HCW from tertiary public hospitals, with a diagnosis of only one of the following CRC: ischemic heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or dyslipidemia. Sociodemographic questionnaires and self-reported measures were used to collect data: PSS-14 for perceived stress, Type A Behavior Pattern Withdrawal Scale, HADS for anxiety and depression symptoms, the Attitudes toward Medication Scale and the Therapeutics Adherence Scale for Patients with Chronic Diseases.

Results

Anxiety and depression symptoms were higher in the group with risk for non-adherence, while perceived stress and positive attitudes toward medication were higher in the group with likelihood of adherence (p ≤ 0.05). The Type A behavior pattern and sociodemographic variables did not differ between groups. In a regression model, positive attitudes toward medication and perceived stress doubled APT (OR = 2.04, CI95% = 1.39-2.97; OR = 2.02, CI95% = 1.71-2,39, respectively) whereas depression decreased its likelihood (OR = 0.61, CI95% = 0.58-0.73).

Discussion

In conclusion, psychoeducation for patients with CRC should include information on the advantages of medication for treating their condition, even if they are HCW. Promoting adaptative coping skills to handle daily stressful events, including their CRC, could reduce the level of stress that could increase their APT but also their cardiovascular risk. Moreover, our data provide evidence regarding the importance of identifying and treating depressive symptoms as part of the standard care of this population.

Evaluation of a digital patient education programme in patients with coronary artery disease, a survey-based study

INTRODUCTION

Patient education programmes focusing on risk factor modification and lifestyle changes are well established as part of cardiac rehabilitation in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). As participation rates are low, digital patient education programmes (DPE) are interesting alternatives to increase access. Understanding patients' perceptions of DPE are important in terms of successful implementation in clinical practice but are not well known. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess patients' perceptions of using a DPE in terms of end-user acceptance and usability, perceived significance for lifestyle changes and secondary preventive goal fulfilment in patients with CAD.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional survey-based study. The survey was distributed to all 1625 patients with acute coronary syndrome or chronic CAD with revascularisation, who were registered users of the DPE between 2020 and 2022 as part of cardiac rehabilitation. The survey contained 64 questions about e.g., acceptance and usability, perceived significance for making lifestyle changes and secondary preventive goal fulfilment. Patients who had never logged in to the DPE received questions about their reasons for not logging in. Data were analysed descriptively.

RESULTS

A total of 366 patients (mean age: 69.1 ± 11.3 years, 20% female) completed the survey and among those 207 patients (57%) had used the DPE. Patients reported that the DPE was simple to use (80%) and improved access to healthcare (67-75%). A total of 69% of the patients were generally satisfied with the DPE, > 60% reported that the DPE increased their knowledge about secondary preventive treatment goals and approximately 60% reported having a healthy lifestyle today. On the other hand, 35% of the patients would have preferred a hospital-based education programme. Among the 159 patients (43%) who had never used the DPE, the most reported reason was a perceived need for more information about how to use the DPE (52%).

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows an overall high level of patient acceptance and usability of the DPE, which supports its continued development and long-term role in cardiac rehabilitation in patients with CAD. Future studies should assess associations between participation in the DPE and clinical outcomes, such as secondary preventive goal fulfilment and hospitalisation.

Use of podcasts for health education: a scoping review

OBJECTIVES

to map the scientific evidence related to the characteristics, themes, and outcomes of using health education podcasts aimed at individuals over 18 years of age in intra or extrahospital environments.

METHODS

a scoping review, based on the Joanna Briggs Institute method, conducted in 11 databases, including studies from 2004 to 2022.

RESULTS

11 studies were selected, categorized, highlighting the characteristics, evaluated outcomes, areas, and conditions of podcast application, indicating it as an effective tool for promoting behavioral change, health promotion, and social interaction, demonstrating its potential to improve well-being, quality of life, and user/client autonomy.

CONCLUSIONS

the use of podcasts proves to be an effective, innovative, and low-cost tool, with a significant social impact, being effective for behavioral change, satisfaction, and social interaction. However, the lack of comprehensive studies on podcast development methodologies represents challenges to be overcome.

Cardiac rehabilitation: pedagogical education strategies have positive effect on long-term patient-reported outcomes

This study examined whether patients attending cardiac rehabilitation (CR) based on the pedagogical strategy learning and coping (LC) led to improved health-related quality of life (HRQL), reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression and improved self-management 6 and 12 months after the completion of CR compared with patients attending CR based on the pedagogical strategy 'Empowerment, Motivation and Medical Adherence' (EMMA). A pragmatic cluster-controlled trial of two pedagogical strategies, LC and EMMA, including 10 primary health care settings and 555 patients diagnosed with ischaemic heart disease and referred to CR between August 2018 and July 2019 was conducted. In total, 312 patients replied to the questionnaires collected at baseline, 12 weeks, 6 months and 12 months after completing CR. Linear regression analyses adjusted for potential confounder variables and cluster effects were performed. We found clinically relevant and statistically significant improvements in HRQL, anxiety, depression and self-management after completing CR. The improvements were sustained at 6 and 12 months after the completion of CR. We found no differences between the two evidence-based patient education strategies. In conclusion, this study supports the use of evidence-based patient education strategies, but there is no evidence to suggest that one pedagogical strategy is superior to the other.

Predictors of home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence among patients with chronic heart failure: a theory-driven cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The factors influencing home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence among patients with chronic heart failure remain unclear. This study aimed to explore predictors of home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence in these patients, based on the theory of planned behavior.

METHODS

This theory-driven, cross-sectional study used convenience sampling to recruit patients with chronic heart failure undergoing home-based cardiac rehabilitation. Instruments used included the Home-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation Exercise Adherence Scale, the Multidimensional Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale, the Perceived Social Support Scale, and the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia Heart. Multivariate linear hierarchical regression analysis was employed to examine the factors influencing exercise adherence.

RESULTS

A total of 215 patients with chronic heart failure undergoing home-based cardiac rehabilitation participated in the study. The overall score for home cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence was (48.73 ± 3.92). Multivariate linear hierarchical regression analysis revealed that age (β=-0.087, p = 0.012), education level (β = 0.080, p = 0.020), fear of movement (β=-0.254, p < 0.001), perceived social support (β = 0.451, p < 0.001), and exercise self-efficacy (β = 0.289, p < 0.001) influenced home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence. In the second model, fear of exercise explained 23.60% of the total variance, while perceived social support and exercise self-efficacy explained 26.60% of the total variance in the third model.

CONCLUSION

This study found that home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence in patients with chronic heart failure was suboptimal, and identified its influencing factors. Targeted interventions addressing these factors, such as tailored education, support, and addressing fear of exercise, may help improve exercise adherence.

Development of a knowledge, attitude, and practice scale for cardiac rehabilitation for parents of children with heart disease

PURPOSE

We aimed to (i) develop a Cardiac Rehabilitation Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Scale for parents of children with heart disease and (ii) test its reliability and validity.

METHODS

Based on the theory of knowledge, attitude, and practice, an item pool was constructed through literature review, and 200 parents of children with heart disease were surveyed to test the reliability and validity of the scale.

RESULTS

The finalized Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Scale contains three parts, i.e., knowledge, attitude, and practice, with a total of 34 items. The Cronbach alpha coefficient of the total scale was 0.731, the split-half reliability was 0.730, the content validity was 0.956, and the content validity of each item was 0.917-1.

CONCLUSION

The Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Scale of Cardiac Rehabilitation for Parents of Children with Heart Disease has good reliability and validity, and it can be used as a tool to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of parents of children with heart disease participating in cardiac rehabilitation.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

The development of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Scale for parents of children with heart disease is of great significance for carrying out targeted education programs in the future to improve the compliance of children with heart disease with cardiac rehabilitation programs.

Effectiveness of the nutrition referral system in a multidisciplinary pancreatic cancer clinic

PURPOSE

Proactive nutrition screening and intervention is associated with improved outcomes for patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC). To better optimize nutrition amongst our PDAC population, we implemented systematic malnutrition screening in the Johns Hopkins pancreas multidisciplinary clinic (PMDC) and assessed the effectiveness of our nutrition referral system.

METHODS

This was a single institution prospective study of patients seen in the PMDC, screened for malnutrition using the Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) (score range=0 to 5, score > 2 indicates risk of malnutrition), and offered referrals to the oncology dietitian. Patients that requested a referral but did not attend a nutrition appointment were contacted by phone to assess barriers to seeing the dietitian. Univariate (UVA) and multivariable (MVA) analyses were carried out to identify predictors of referral status and appointment completion status.

RESULTS

A total of 97 patients were included in the study, of which 72 (74.2%) requested a referral and 25 (25.8%) declined. Of the 72 patients who requested a referral, 31 (43.1%) attended an appointment with the oncology dietitian. Data on information session attendance was available for 35 patients, of which 8 (22.9%) attended a pre-clinic information session in which the importance of optimal nutrition was highlighted. On MVA, information session attendance was significantly associated with requesting a referral (OR: 11.1, 95% CI 1.12-1.0E3, p=0.037) and successfully meeting with the oncology dietitian (OR: 5.88, 95% CI 1.00-33.3, p=0.049).

CONCLUSION

PMDC teams should institute educational initiatives on the importance of optimal nutrition in order to increase patient engagement with nutrition services.

A Conceptual Model of Home-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation Exercise Adherence in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study

Purpose

This study aimed to explore a conceptual model of home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence and reveal its internal behavioral logic.

Patients and Methods

A constructivist grounded theory design was adopted to explore the conceptual model of home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence. Semi-structured interviews were completed to collect qualitative data for constructing the conceptual model. The theoretical saturation and validation strategies were adopted to demonstrate the adequacy of qualitative data. A three-level coding procedure with constant comparisons was completed to analyze this qualitative data.

Results

A total of 21 patients with chronic heart failure were recruited in this study. As a result of this study, 32 initial codes, 12 category codes, and four core categories were extracted, namely, seeking supports, rehabilitation exercise, exercise monitoring and information feedback. According to the internal behavioral logic, the conceptual model of home cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence was finally formed. In this closed-chain model, seeking supports is the initial adherence behavior, and rehabilitation exercise is the core adherence behavior, and exercise monitoring is the key adherence behavior, and information feedback is the driving adherence behavior.

Conclusion

The conceptual model of home-based cardiac rehabilitation exercise adherence in patients with chronic heart failure was developed, revealing its internal behavioral logic and providing theoretical references for developing relevant clinical research tools with comprehensive coverage and identifying weak links.