An interactive-technology health behavior promotion program for heart failure patients: a pilot study of experiences and needs of patients and nurses in the hospital setting

Adaptation of Coping Effectiveness Training for Patients With Heart Failure and Patient-Reported Experience of the Intervention

Although patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) often experience psychological distress, psychosocial aspects are not an integral part of their treatment and care. The aim is to describe the adaptation of Coping Effectiveness Training for patients with CHF and the participants' reported experiences. The intervention workbook and manual were translated into Swedish and adapted for patients with CHF. Patient-reported experience from 33 of 35 participants, that had completed the psychosocial intervention, was measured with an evaluation form consisting of closed and open-ended questions. Most participants thought they benefited from the intervention, were pleased with the structure and did not want to add anything to the program. The benefits experienced were learning how to cope with the illness and meeting other people to share and discuss experiences. There was a variation concerning the group process of how much direction should be given during the discussions. Overall, unique data from patient-reported experience measure showed that the participants were satisfied with the psychosocial intervention, applied for the first time to patients with CHF.

A Tablet-Based Educational Tool: Toward More Comprehensive Pediatric Patient Education

There is a paucity of data on the impact of mobile technology on physician-led education in the pediatric population. We performed a prospective pilot study in a pediatric diabetes clinic to evaluate the impact of tablet-based patient education. A total of 106 patients and caregivers completed postclinic surveys, 64 (60%) in the intervention group and 42 (40%) in the control group. The majority of the intervention group patients (86%) liked tablet use and felt it was better or similar (99%) to baseline. Moreover, a majority receiving tablet-based education perceived an increase in diabetes knowledge (57%) compared with baseline (39%), though the difference did not reach statistical significance ( P = .059). Those who received tablet-based education felt they were educated on more diabetes-related topics. As the use of mobile technology in medicine grows, additional research is needed to compare mobile technology with traditional methods in providing education to the pediatric population.

Hospital staffs' perceptions of an electronic program to engage patients in nutrition care at the bedside: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Advancements in technology are enabling patients to participate in their health care through self-monitoring and self-management of diet, exercise and chronic disease. Technologies allowing patients to participate in hospital care are still emerging but show promise. Our team is developing a program by which hospitalised patients can participate in their nutrition care. This study explores hospital staffs' perceptions of using this technology to engage patients in their care.

METHODS

This qualitative study involved semi-structured interviews with hospital staff providing routine nutrition care to patients (i.e. dietitians, nutrition assistants, nurses, doctors and foodservice staff) from five wards at a tertiary metropolitan teaching hospital in Australia. The hospital currently uses an electronic foodservice system (EFS) for patient meal ordering, accessed through personal screens at the bedside. Participants were shown the EFS program on an iPad and asked about their perceptions of the program, with questions from a semi-structured interview guide. Staff were interviewed individually or in small focus groups. Interviews lasted 15-30 min and were audio recorded and later transcribed. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Nineteen staff participated in interviews. Overall, they expressed positive views of the EFS program and wanted it to be implemented in practice. Their responses formed three themes, each with a number of subthemes: 1) Enacting patient participation in practice; 2) Optimising nutrition care; and 3) Considerations for implementing an EFS program in practice. Staff thought the program would improve various aspects of nutrition care and enable patient participation in care. Whilst they raised some concerns, they focused on overcoming barriers and facilitating implementation if the program were to be adopted into practice.

CONCLUSIONS

Staff found an EFS program designed to engage patients in their nutrition care acceptable, as they saw benefits to using it for both patients and staff. Staff recognised characteristics of the program itself, as well as allocation of roles and responsibilities in operationalising it, were pivotal for successful implementation in practice. Their perspectives will inform program and intervention design, and implementation and evaluation strategies.

Using technology to engage hospitalised patients in their care: a realist review

BACKGROUND

Patient participation in health care is associated with improved outcomes for patients and hospitals. New technologies are creating vast potential for patients to participate in care at the bedside. Several studies have explored patient use, satisfaction and perceptions of health information technology (HIT) interventions in hospital. Understanding what works for whom, under what conditions, is important when considering interventions successfully engaging patients in care. This realist review aimed to determine key features of interventions using bedside technology to engage hospital patients in their care and analyse these in terms of context, mechanisms and outcomes.

METHODS

A realist review was chosen to explain how and why complex HIT interventions work or fail within certain contexts. The review was guided by Pawson's realist review methodology, involving: clarifying review scope; searching for evidence; data extraction and evidence appraisal; synthesising evidence and drawing conclusions. Author experience and an initial literature scope provided insight and review questions and theories (propositions) around why interventions worked were developed and iteratively refined. A purposive search was conducted to find evidence to support, refute or identify further propositions, which formed an explanatory model. Each study was 'mined' for evidence to further develop the propositions and model.

RESULTS

Interactive learning was the overarching theme of studies using technology to engage patients in their care. Several propositions underpinned this, which were labelled: information sharing; self-assessment and feedback; tailored education; user-centred design; and support in use of HIT. As studies were mostly feasibility or usability studies, they reported patient-centred outcomes including patient acceptability, satisfaction and actual use of HIT interventions. For each proposition, outcomes were proposed to come about by mechanisms including improved communication, shared decision-making, empowerment and self-efficacy; which acted as facilitators to patient participation in care. Overall, there was a stronger representation of health than IT disciplines in studies reviewed, with a lack of IT input in terms of theoretical underpinning, methodological design and reporting of outcomes.

CONCLUSION

HIT interventions have great potential for engaging hospitalised patients in their care. However, stronger interdisciplinary collaboration between health and IT researchers is needed for effective design and evaluation of HIT interventions.

Patients' Perceptions of a Pressure Ulcer Prevention Care Bundle in Hospital: A Qualitative Descriptive Study to Guide Evidence-Based Practice

BACKGROUND

Pressure ulcers place a significant burden on patients and hospitals. Our team developed and tested a pressure ulcer prevention care bundle (PUPCB) in a cluster randomized trial. As part of the process evaluation conducted alongside the trial, we explored patients' perceptions of the intervention.

AIMS

To identify patients' perceptions and experiences of a PUPCB in hospital.

METHODS

This qualitative descriptive study explored the perceptions of a subset of patients who participated in a trial testing the PUPCB across four intervention hospitals. A trained interviewer conducted semistructured interviews, which were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis.

FINDINGS

Nineteen patients were interviewed across the four hospitals. Three main themes emerged: (a) importance of personal contact in PUPCB delivery; (b) understanding pressure ulcer prevention (PUP) enhances participation; and (c) individual factors impact patients' engagement in PUP.

DISCUSSION

The extent to which patients adopted the intervention appeared to be influenced by the complexity of education materials, compatibility with patients' existing knowledge and beliefs, and perceived advantage of the intervention; ability for human interaction; and patient-related facilitators and barriers to participating in PUP care.

LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION

This study found patients accepted a PUPCB that encouraged participation in care, particularly as it involved personal and positive interactions with nurses and provision of information that was easy to understand and resonated with patients.

Evidence of poor adherence to secondary prevention after acute coronary syndromes: possible remedies through the application of new technologies

Adherence to secondary prevention medications following acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is disappointingly low, standing around 40–75% by various estimates. This is an inefficient use of the resources devoted to their development and implementation, and also puts patients at higher risk of poor outcomes post-ACS. Numerous factors contribute to low adherence including poor motivation, forgetfulness, lack of education about medications, complicated polypharmacy of ACS regimens, (fear of) adverse side effects and limited practical support. Using technology to improve adherence in ACS is an emerging strategy and has the potential to address many of the above factors—computer-based education and mobile phone reminders are among the interventions trialled and appear to improve adherence in patients with ACS. As we move into an increasingly technological future, there is potential to use devices such as smartphones and tablets to encourage patient responsibility for medications. These handheld technologies have great scope for allowing patients to view online medical records, education modules and reminder systems, and although research specific to ACS is limited, they have shown initial promise in terms of uptake and improved adherence among similar patient populations. Given the overwhelming enthusiasm for handheld technologies, it would seem timely to further investigate their role in improving ACS medication adherence.

Adherence to self-care in patients with heart failure in the HeartCycle study

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a novel online education and coaching program to promote self-care among patients with heart failure. In this program, education and coaching content is automatically tailored to the knowledge and behavior of the patient.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The evaluation of the program took place within the scope of the HeartCycle study. This multi-center, observational study examined the ability of a third generation telehealth system to enhance the management of patients recently (<60 days) admitted to the hospital for worsening heart failure or outpatients with persistent New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Classification III/IV symptoms. Self-reported self-care behavior was assessed at baseline and study-end by means of the 9-item European Heart Failure Self-care Behavior scale. Adherence to daily weighing, blood pressure monitoring, and reporting of symptoms was determined by analyzing the system's database.

RESULTS

Of 123 patients enrolled, the mean age was 66±12 years, 66% were in NYHA III and 79% were men. Self-reported self-care behavior scores (n=101) improved during the study for daily weighing, low-salt diet, physical activity (P<0.001), and fluid restriction (P<0.05). Average adherence (n=120) to measuring weight was 90%±16%, to measuring blood pressure was 89%±17% and to symptom reporting was 66%±32%.

CONCLUSION

Self-reported self-care behavior scores improved significantly during the period of observation, and the objective evidence of adherence to daily weight and blood pressure measurements was high and remained stable over time. However, adherence to daily reporting of symptoms was lower and declined in the long-term.

Design and Usage of the HeartCycle Education and Coaching Program for Patients With Heart Failure

Background

Heart failure (HF) is common, and it is associated with high rates of hospital readmission and mortality. It is generally assumed that appropriate self-care can improve outcomes in patients with HF, but patient adherence to many self-care behaviors is poor.

Objective

The objective of our study was to develop and test an intervention to increase self-care in patients with HF using a novel, online, automated education and coaching program.

Methods

The online automated program was developed using a well-established, face-to-face, home-based cardiac rehabilitation approach. Education is tailored to the behaviors and knowledge of the individual patient, and the system supports patients in adopting self-care behaviors. Patients are guided through a goal-setting process that they conduct at their own pace through the support of the system, and they record their progress in an electronic diary such that the system can provide appropriate feedback. Only in challenging situations do HF nurses intervene to offer help. The program was evaluated in the HeartCycle study, a multicenter, observational trial with randomized components in which researchers investigated the ability of a third-generation telehealth system to enhance the management of patients with HF who had a recent (<60 days) admission to the hospital for symptoms or signs of HF (either new onset or recurrent) or were outpatients with persistent New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class III/IV symptoms despite treatment with diuretic agents. The patients were enrolled from January 2012 through February 2013 at 3 hospital sites within the United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain.

Results

Of 123 patients enrolled (mean age 66 years (SD 12), 66% NYHA III, 79% men), 50 patients (41%) reported that they were not physically active, 56 patients (46%) did not follow a low-salt diet, 6 patients (5%) did not restrict their fluid intake, and 6 patients (5%) did not take their medication as prescribed. About 80% of the patients who started the coaching program for physical activity and low-salt diet became adherent by achieving their personal goals for 2 consecutive weeks. After becoming adherent, 61% continued physical activity coaching, but only 36% continued low-salt diet coaching.

Conclusions

The HeartCycle education and coaching program helped most nonadherent patients with HF to adopt recommended self-care behaviors. Automated coaching worked well for most patients who started the coaching program, and many patients who achieved their goals continued to use the program. For many patients who did not engage in the automated coaching program, their choice was appropriate rather than a failure of the program.