Rehabilitation After Myocardial Infarction Trial (RAMIT)

Implementation of interventions to reduce preventable hospital admissions for cardiovascular or respiratory conditions: an evidence map and realist synthesis

Background

In 2012, a series of systematic reviews summarised the evidence regarding interventions to reduce preventable hospital admissions. Although intervention effects were dependent on context, the reviews revealed a consistent picture of reduction across different interventions targeting cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. The research reported here sought to provide an in-depth understanding of how interventions that have been shown to reduce admissions for these conditions may work, with a view to supporting their effective implementation in practice.

Objectives

To map the available evidence on interventions used in the UK NHS to reduce preventable admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory conditions and to conduct a realist synthesis of implementation evidence related to these interventions.

Methods

For the mapping review, six databases were searched for studies published between 2010 and October 2017. Studies were included if they were conducted in the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand; recruited adults with a cardiovascular or respiratory condition; and evaluated or described an intervention that could reduce preventable admissions or re-admissions. A descriptive summary of key characteristics of the included studies was produced. The studies included in the mapping review helped to inform the sampling frame for the subsequent realist synthesis. The wider evidence base was also engaged through supplementary searching. Data extraction forms were developed using appropriate frameworks (an implementation framework, an intervention template and a realist logic template). Following identification of initial programme theories (from the theoretical literature, empirical studies and insights from the patient and public involvement group), the review team extracted data into evidence tables. Programme theories were examined against the individual intervention types and collectively as a set. The resultant hypotheses functioned as synthesised statements around which an explanatory narrative referenced to the underpinning evidence base was developed. Additional searches for mid-range and overarching theories were carried out using Google Scholar (Google Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA).

Results

A total of 569 publications were included in the mapping review. The largest group originated from the USA. The included studies from the UK showed a similar distribution to that of the map as a whole, but there was evidence of some country-specific features, such as the prominence of studies of telehealth. In the realist synthesis, it was found that interventions with strong evidence of effectiveness overall had not necessarily demonstrated effectiveness in UK settings. This could be a barrier to using these interventions in the NHS. Facilitation of the implementation of interventions was often not reported or inadequately reported. Many of the interventions were diverse in the ways in which they were delivered. There was also considerable overlap in the content of interventions. The role of specialist nurses was highlighted in several studies. The five programme theories identified were supported to varying degrees by empirical literature, but all provided valuable insights.

Limitations

The research was conducted by a small team; time and resources limited the team’s ability to consult with a full range of stakeholders.

Conclusions

Overall, implementation appears to be favoured by support for self-management by patients and their families/carers, support for services that signpost patients to consider alternatives to seeing their general practitioner when appropriate, recognition of possible reasons why patients seek admission, support for health-care professionals to diagnose and refer patients appropriately and support for workforce roles that promote continuity of care and co-ordination between services.

Future work

Research should focus on understanding discrepancies between national and international evidence and the transferability of findings between different contexts; the design and evaluation of implementation strategies informed by theories about how the intervention being implemented might work; and qualitative research on decision-making around hospital referrals and admissions.

Funding

The National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme.

The Chinese version of the Coronary Artery Disease Education Questionnaire-II (CADEQ-II): translation and validation

OBJECTIVES

It is necessary to assess disease-related knowledge in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) for tailored patient education; however there is a lack of a well-validated measurement in China. The objective of this study was to translate and validate a Chinese version of the Coronary Artery Disease Education Questionnaire-II (CADEQ-II).

METHODS

The Chinese version of CADEQ-II was translated and culturally adapted. Then, it was tested for psychometric properties through a convenient sampling. Content validity was examined based on a panel of five experts. The item difficulty index and item discrimination index were calculated to assess the item difficulty and item discrimination. Internal consistency reliability was measured with the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Criterion-related validity was established through comparing scores in patients with different education levels. Construct validity was assessed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

RESULTS

The Chinese version of the CADEQ-II was finalized after deleting three items and modifying two items from the original version. Three hundred and sixteen participants completed the whole questionnaire. Content validity index of the whole questionnaire was 0.87. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the overall questionnaire was 0.907. The significant difference of the knowledge scores among patients with different education levels supported criterion-related validity. CFA confirmed the proposed four-factorial structure of the questionnaire.

CONCLUSION

The Chinese version of CADEQ-II had an acceptable reliability and validity among Chinese patients with CAD. It could be used to develop individualized health education for Chinese patients with CAD. Also, it could serve as a suitable outcome measurement to evaluate the effectiveness of education interventions related to CAD.

Effects of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation on cardiorespiratory fitness: A meta-analysis of UK studies

BACKGROUND

Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation can promote meaningful improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness (fitness) but the magnitude of such improvements varies according to local characteristics of exercise programmes. We aimed to determine if cardiac rehabilitation (CR), as practised in the United Kingdom (UK), could promote meaningful changes in fitness and to identify programme characteristics which may moderate these changes.

METHODS

Electronic and manual searches to identify UK CR studies reporting fitness at baseline and follow up. Change in fitness (Δfitness) was expressed as mean difference (95% CI) and effect size (ES). A random effects model was used to calculate the mean estimate for change in Δfitness. Between-group heterogeneity was quantified (Q) and investigated using planned sub-group analyses.

RESULTS

We identified n=11 studies containing 16 patient groups (n=1 578) which used the incremental shuttle walking test (ISWT) (distance walked) to assess fitness. The overall mean estimate for Δfitness showed a significant increase in distance walked (ES=0.48, P<0.001), but this estimate was highly heterogeneous (Q=77.1, P<0.001, I(2)=81%). Sub-group analyses showed significantly greater ES (Q=3.94, P=0.046) for Δfitness in patients prescribed n>12 exercise sessions compared with those receiving n≤12 sessions.

CONCLUSION

We found significant increases in fitness (based on ISWT) in patients attending exercise-based CR in the UK. However, UK studies provide approximately one-third of the exercise "dose", and produce gains in fitness less than half the magnitude reported in international studies.

Effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation among older patients after acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

Guidelines recommend cardiac rehabilitation after acute myocardial infarction, yet little is known about the impact of cardiac rehabilitation on medication adherence and clinical outcomes among contemporary older adults. The optimal number of cardiac rehabilitation sessions is not clear.

METHODS

We linked patients 65years or older enrolled in the Acute Coronary Treatment Intervention Outcomes Network Registry-Get With the Guidelines (ACTION Registry-GWTG) from January 2007 to December 2010 to Medicare longitudinal claims data to obtain 1 year follow-up.

RESULTS

A total of 11,862 patients participated in cardiac rehabilitation after acute myocardial infarction, attending a median number of 26 sessions. Patients attending ≥26 sessions were more likely to be male, had lesser prevalence of comorbid conditions and prior revascularization, and were more likely to present with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, compared with patients attending 1 to 25 sessions. Among patients with Medicare Part D prescription coverage, increasing number of cardiac rehabilitation sessions was associated with improvement in adherence to secondary prevention medications such as P2Y12 inhibitors and β-blockers. Each 5-session increase in participation was associated with lower mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.87, 95% CI 0.83-0.92) and lower overall risk of major adverse cardiac event (adjusted HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.65-0.73) and death/readmission (adjusted HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.76-0.83).

CONCLUSIONS

In this older patient population, number of cardiac rehabilitation sessions attended was associated with improved medication adherence and lower downstream cardiovascular risk in a dose-response relationship. This provides support for the continued use of cardiac rehabilitation for older adults and encourages efforts to maximize attendance.