Effect of interactive digital counselling on risk factors and lifestyle in patients with coronary artery disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

AIMS

Digital counselling has gained paramount importance for coronary artery disease (CAD) patients' treatment in recent years. It has been shown to provide a multitude of benefits, including improved risk factors and enhanced lifestyles. No previous reviews have emphasized the interactiveness of digital counselling. Consequently, the aim of this review is to determine whether interactive two-way digital counselling can provide effective secondary prevention as alternative or adjunct care compared with usual care, where patients visit a cardiac clinic and obtain verbal information and written recommendations of the risk factors without a digital intervention.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Studies that implemented digital interventions in patient counselling among CAD patients were identified by searching 10 electronic databases at the end of August 2022 and updated on 15 December 2023. The Joanna Briggs Institution (JBI) protocol was used for screening, quality assessment, data extraction, and meta-analysis. In total, 15 papers were identified that reported the effect of interactive digital counselling on risk factors and lifestyle changes in CAD patients. The results of the meta-analyses had neutral pre-defined outcomes and did not show any effect on cardiovascular risk factors or lifestyle changes.

CONCLUSION

There is a need for better descriptions of the content and delivery of interactive digital interventions in studies. In the future, digital interventions should be designed not only to focus on patient, but to incorporate social support, peer groups, and interactive tools on a digital platform. Social support has proved to be important in terms of adherence to treatment.

REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42021247315.

The Role of Wearable Devices in Chronic Disease Monitoring and Patient Care: A Comprehensive Review

Wearable health devices are becoming vital in chronic disease management because they offer real-time monitoring and personalized care. This review explores their effectiveness and challenges across medical fields, including cardiology, respiratory health, neurology, endocrinology, orthopedics, oncology, and mental health. A thorough literature search identified studies focusing on wearable devices' impact on patient outcomes. In cardiology, wearables have proven effective for monitoring hypertension, detecting arrhythmias, and aiding cardiac rehabilitation. In respiratory health, these devices enhance asthma management and continuous monitoring of critical parameters. Neurological applications include seizure detection and Parkinson's disease management, with wearables showing promising results in improving patient outcomes. In endocrinology, wearable technology advances thyroid dysfunction monitoring, fertility tracking, and diabetes management. Orthopedic applications include improved postsurgical recovery and rehabilitation, while wearables help in early complication detection in oncology. Mental health benefits include anxiety detection, post-traumatic stress disorder management, and stress reduction through wearable biofeedback. In conclusion, wearable health devices offer transformative potential for managing chronic illnesses by enhancing real-time monitoring and patient engagement. Despite significant improvements in adherence and outcomes, challenges with data accuracy and privacy persist. However, with ongoing innovation and collaboration, we can all be part of the solution to maximize the benefits of wearable technologies in healthcare.

Current Status of Barriers to mHealth Access Among Patients With Stroke and Steps Toward the Digital Health Era: Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Mobile health (mHealth) offers significant benefits for patients with stroke, facilitating remote monitoring and personalized health care solutions beyond traditional settings. However, there is a dearth of comprehensive data, particularly qualitative insights, on the barriers to mHealth access. Understanding these barriers is crucial for devising strategies to enhance mHealth use among patients with stroke.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to examine the recent literature focusing on barriers to mHealth access among patients with stroke.

METHODS

A systematic search of PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and CINAHL Plus Full Text was conducted for literature published between 2017 and 2023. Abstracts and full texts were independently screened based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data synthesis was performed using the convergent integrated analysis framework recommended by the Joanna Briggs Institute.

RESULTS

A total of 12 studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority were qualitative studies (about 42%), followed by mixed methods (25%), pilot studies (about 17%), nonrandomized controlled trials (about 8%), and observational studies (about 8%). Participants included patients with stroke, caregivers, and various health care professionals. The most common mHealth practices were home-based telerehabilitation (30%) and poststroke mHealth and telecare services (20%). Identified barriers were categorized into two primary themes: (1) at the patient level and (2) at the health provider-patient-device interaction level. The first theme includes 2 subthemes: health-related issues and patient acceptability. The second theme encompassed 3 subthemes: infrastructure challenges (including software, networking, and hardware), support system deficiencies, and time constraints.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review underscores significant barriers to mHealth adoption among patients with stroke. Addressing these barriers in future research is imperative to ensure that mHealth solutions effectively meet patients' needs.

Digital therapeutics-based lifestyle intervention for gestational diabetes mellitus prevention of high-risk pregnant women: a study protocol for a non-randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

Digital therapeutics have been approved as a treatment aid for various medical conditions and are increasingly prevalent. Despite numerous studies on the potential of digital therapeutic interventions in preventing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), there is a critical need for more high-quality, large-scale studies to validate their effectiveness. This need arises from the inconsistencies in results and variations in the quality of previous research.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

We propose a non-randomised controlled trial involving 800 high-risk pregnant women in 6 maternity and child health hospitals in Fujian, China. This study aims to investigate the role and effectiveness of digital therapeutics-based lifestyle intervention in managing the health of pregnant women at high risk for GDM. The study will compare the differences in GDM prevalence, pregnancy weight management and other pregnancy-related health outcomes between pregnant women who received digital therapeutics-based lifestyle intervention and those in the control group. The intervention includes dietary guidance, a personalised physical activity programme and lifestyle improvement strategies delivered through a smartphone app. Primary outcomes include the incidence of GDM at 24-28 weeks gestation and gestational weight gain (GWG). Secondary outcomes comprise improvements in individual lifestyle and risk factors, nutritional issues, implementation outcomes and other pregnancy-related outcomes.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION SECTION

The trial was approved by the Ethics Committee of Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital (approval number: 2023KY046), Jianyang Maternity and Child Health Hospital (approval number: A202401), Fuqing Maternity and Child Health Hospital (approval number: FY2024003), Changting Maternity and Child Health Hospital (approval number: 202401), Datian Maternity and Child Health Hospital (approval number: dtfy202401) and Quanzhou Maternity and Child Health Hospital (approval number: 2024(50)). We will disseminate our findings by publishing articles in leading peer-reviewed journals.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ChiCTR2300071496.

Preferences for coaching strategies in a personalized virtual coach for emotional eaters: an explorative study

Objectives

Emotional eating is recognized as a potential contributor to weight gain. Emotional eaters often hide their problems because of feelings of shame about their behavior, making it challenging to provide them with the necessary support. The introduction of a virtual coach might offer a potential solution in assisting them. To find out whether emotional eaters are receptive to online personalized coaching, we presented emotional eaters with two essential proto-typical problem situations for emotional eaters: "experiencing cravings" and "after giving in to cravings," and asked them whether they preferred one of the three coaching strategies presented: Validating, Focus-on-Change and Dialectical.

Methods

An experimental vignette study (2 × 3 design) was carried out. The vignettes featured two distinct personas, each representing one of the two common problem scenarios experienced by emotional eaters, along with three distinct coaching strategies for each scenario. To identify potential predictors for recognition of problem situations, questionnaires on emotional eating (DEBQ), personality traits (Big-5), well-being (PANAS), and BMI were administrated.

Results

A total of 62% of the respondents identified themselves with "after giving in to cravings" and 47% with "experiencing cravings." BMI, emotional eating and emotional stability appeared to be predictors in recognizing both the problem situations. In "experiencing cravings," the participating women preferred Dialectical and the Validation coaching strategies. In the "after giving in to cravings" condition, they revealed a preference for the Dialectical and the Focus-on-Change coaching strategies.

Conclusion

Using vignettes allowed a less threatening way of bringing up sensitive topics for emotional eaters. The personas representing the problem situations were reasonably well recognized. To further enhance this recognition, it is important for the design and content of the personas to be even more closely related to the typical problem scenarios of emotional eaters, rather than focusing on physical characteristics or social backgrounds. This way, users may be less distracted by these factors. With the knowledge gained about the predictors that may influence recognition of the problem situations, design for coaching can be more customized. The participants represented individuals with high emotional eating levels, enhancing external validity.

Home-based versus centre-based cardiac rehabilitation

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death globally. Traditionally, centre-based cardiac rehabilitation programmes are offered to individuals after cardiac events to aid recovery and prevent further cardiac illness. Home-based and technology-supported cardiac rehabilitation programmes have been introduced in an attempt to widen access and participation, especially during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. This is an update of a review previously published in 2009, 2015, and 2017.

OBJECTIVES

To compare the effect of home-based (which may include digital/telehealth interventions) and supervised centre-based cardiac rehabilitation on mortality and morbidity, exercise-capacity, health-related quality of life, and modifiable cardiac risk factors in patients with heart disease SEARCH METHODS: We updated searches from the previous Cochrane Review by searching the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid) and CINAHL (EBSCO) on 16 September 2022. We also searched two clinical trials registers as well as previous systematic reviews and reference lists of included studies. No language restrictions were applied.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised controlled trials that compared centre-based cardiac rehabilitation (e.g. hospital, sports/community centre) with home-based programmes (± digital/telehealth platforms) in adults with myocardial infarction, angina, heart failure, or who had undergone revascularisation.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently screened all identified references for inclusion based on predefined inclusion criteria. Disagreements were resolved through discussion or by involving a third review author. Two authors independently extracted outcome data and study characteristics and assessed risk of bias. Certainty of evidence was assessed using GRADE.

MAIN RESULTS

We included three new trials in this update, bringing a total of 24 trials that have randomised a total of 3046 participants undergoing cardiac rehabilitation. A further nine studies were identified and are awaiting classification. Manual searching of trial registers until 16 September 2022 revealed a further 14 clinical trial registrations - these are ongoing. Participants had a history of acute myocardial infarction, revascularisation, or heart failure. Although there was little evidence of high risk of bias, a number of studies provided insufficient detail to enable assessment of potential risk of bias; in particular, details of generation and concealment of random allocation sequencing and blinding of outcome assessment were poorly reported. No evidence of a difference was seen between home- and centre-based cardiac rehabilitation in our primary outcomes up to 12 months of follow-up: total mortality (risk ratio [RR] = 1.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65 to 2.16; participants = 1647; studies = 12/comparisons = 14; low-certainty evidence) or exercise capacity (standardised mean difference (SMD) = -0.10, 95% CI -0.24 to 0.04; participants = 2343; studies = 24/comparisons = 28; low-certainty evidence). The majority of evidence (N=71 / 77 comparisons of either total or domain scores) showed no significant difference in health-related quality of life up to 24 months follow-up between home- and centre-based cardiac rehabilitation. Trials were generally of short duration, with only three studies reporting outcomes beyond 12 months (exercise capacity: SMD 0.11, 95% CI -0.01 to 0.23; participants = 1074; studies = 3; moderate-certainty evidence). There was a similar level of trial completion (RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.08; participants = 2638; studies = 22/comparisons = 26; low-certainty evidence) between home-based and centre-based participants. The cost per patient of centre- and home-based programmes was similar.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

This update supports previous conclusions that home- (± digital/telehealth platforms) and centre-based forms of cardiac rehabilitation formally supported by healthcare staff seem to be similarly effective in improving clinical and health-related quality of life outcomes in patients after myocardial infarction, or revascularisation, or with heart failure. This finding supports the continued expansion of healthcare professional supervised home-based cardiac rehabilitation programmes (± digital/telehealth platforms), especially important in the context of the ongoing global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic that has much limited patients in face-to-face access of hospital and community health services. Where settings are able to provide both supervised centre- and home-based programmes, consideration of the preference of the individual patient would seem appropriate. Although not included in the scope of this review, there is an increasing evidence base supporting the use of hybrid models that combine elements of both centre-based and home-based cardiac rehabilitation delivery. Further data are needed to determine: (1) whether the short-term effects of home/digital-telehealth and centre-based cardiac rehabilitation models of delivery can be confirmed in the longer term; (2) the relative clinical effectiveness and safety of home-based programmes for other heart patients, e.g. post-valve surgery and atrial fibrillation.

Testing the Effect of a Smartphone App on Hospital Admissions and Sedentary Behavior in Cardiac Rehabilitation Participants: ToDo-CR Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

People with coronary heart disease are at an increased risk of morbidity and mortality even if they attend cardiac rehabilitation. High sedentary behavior levels potentially contribute to this morbidity. Smartphone apps may be feasible to facilitate sedentary behavior reductions and lead to reduced health care use.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to test the effect of a sedentary behavior change smartphone app (Vire app and ToDo-CR program) as an adjunct to cardiac rehabilitation on hospital admissions and emergency department (ED) presentations over 12 months.

METHODS

A multicenter, randomized controlled trial was conducted with 120 participants recruited from 3 cardiac rehabilitation programs. Participants were randomized 1:1 to cardiac rehabilitation plus the fully automated 6-month Vire app and ToDo-CR program (intervention) or usual care (control). The primary outcome was nonelective hospital admissions and ED presentations over 12 months. Secondary outcomes including accelerometer-measured sedentary behavior, BMI, waist circumference, and quality of life were recorded at baseline and 6 and 12 months. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the primary outcome, and linear mixed-effects models were used to analyze secondary outcomes. Data on intervention and hospital admission costs were collected, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated.

RESULTS

Participants were, on average, aged 62 (SD 10) years, and the majority were male (93/120, 77.5%). The intervention group were more likely to experience all-cause (odds ratio [OR] 1.54, 95% CI 0.58-4.10; P=.39) and cardiac-related (OR 3.26, 95% CI 0.84-12.55; P=.09) hospital admissions and ED presentations (OR 2.07, 95% CI 0.89-4.77; P=.09) than the control group. Despite this, cardiac-related hospital admission costs were lower in the intervention group over 12 months (Aus $252.40 vs Aus $859.38; P=.24; a currency exchange rate of Aus $1=US $0.69 is applicable). There were no significant between-group differences in sedentary behavior minutes per day over 12 months, although the intervention group completed 22 minutes less than the control group (95% CI -22.80 to 66.69; P=.33; Cohen d=0.21). The intervention group had a lower BMI (β=1.62; P=.05), waist circumference (β=5.81; P=.01), waist-to-hip ratio (β=.03, P=.03), and quality of life (β=3.30; P=.05) than the control group. The intervention was more effective but more costly in reducing sedentary behavior (ICER Aus $351.77) and anxiety (ICER Aus $10,987.71) at 12 months. The intervention was also more effective yet costly in increasing quality of life (ICER Aus $93,395.50) at 12 months.

CONCLUSIONS

The Vire app and ToDo-CR program was not an outcome-effective or cost-effective solution to reduce all-cause hospital admissions or ED presentations in cardiac rehabilitation compared with usual care. Smartphone apps that target sedentary behavior alone may not be an effective solution for cardiac rehabilitation participants to reduce hospital admissions and sedentary behavior.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12619001223123; https://australianclinicaltrials.gov.au/anzctr/trial/ACTRN12619001223123.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

RR2-10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040479.

Role of wearable devices in cardiac telerehabilitation: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is an evidence-based comprehensive program that includes exercise training, health education, physical activity promotion, and extensive counseling for the management of cardiovascular risk factors. Wearable devices monitor certain physiological functions, providing biometric data such as heart rate, movement, sleep, ECG analysis, blood pressure, energy expenditure, and numerous other parameters. Recent evidence supports wearable devices as a likely relevant component in cardiovascular risk assessment and disease prevention. The purpose of this scoping review is to better understand the role of wearable devices in home-based CR (HBCR) and to characterize the evidence regarding the incorporation of wearable devices in HBCR programs and cardiovascular outcomes.

METHODS & FINDINGS

We created a search strategy for multiple databases, including PubMed, Embase (Elsevier), CINAHL (Ebsco), Cochrane CENTRAL (Wiley), and Scopus (Elsevier). Studies were included if the patients were eligible for CR per Medicare guidelines and >18 years of age and if some type of wearable device was utilized during HBCR. Our search yielded 57 studies meeting all criteria. The studies were classified into 4 groups: patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) without heart failure (HF); patients with HF; patients with heart valve repair or replacement; and patients with exposure to center-based CR. In three groups, there was an upward trend toward improvement in quality of life (QOL) and peak VO2, less sedentary time, and an increase in daily step count in the intervention groups compared to control groups.

CONCLUSIONS

HBCR using wearable devices can be a comparable alternative or adjunct to center-based CR for patients with CHD and HF. More studies are needed to draw conclusions about the comparability of HBCR to center-based CR in patients with heart valve repair or replacement.

Cardiac rehabilitation for heart failure: 'Cinderella' or evidence-based pillar of care?

Cardiac rehabilitation remains the 'Cinderella' of treatments for heart failure. This state-of-the-art review provides a contemporary update on the evidence base, clinical guidance, and status of cardiac rehabilitation delivery for patients with heart failure. Given that cardiac rehabilitation participation results in important improvements in patient outcomes, including health-related quality of life, this review argues that an exercise-based rehabilitation is a key pillar of heart failure management alongside drug and medical device provision. To drive future improvements in access and uptake, health services should offer heart failure patients a choice of evidence-based modes of rehabilitation delivery, including home, supported by digital technology, alongside traditional centre-based programmes (or combinations of modes, 'hybrid') and according to stage of disease and patient preference.

The effectiveness of eHealth interventions on moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity among cardiac rehabilitation participants: a systematic review and meta-analysis (Preprint)

BACKGROUND

Cardiac rehabilitation is a class IA recommendation for patients with cardiovascular diseases. Physical activity is the core component and core competency of a cardiac rehabilitation program. However, many patients with cardiovascular diseases are failing to meet cardiac rehabilitation guidelines that recommend moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity.

OBJECTIVE

The major objective of this study was to review the evidence of the effectiveness of eHealth interventions in increasing moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity among patients in cardiac rehabilitation. The secondary objective was to examine the effectiveness of eHealth interventions in improving cardiovascular-related outcomes, that is, cardiorespiratory fitness, waist circumference, and systolic blood pressure.

METHODS

A comprehensive search strategy was developed, and a systematic search of 4 electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library) was conducted for papers published from the start of the creation of the database until November 27, 2022. Experimental studies reporting on eHealth interventions designed to increase moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity among patients in cardiac rehabilitation were included. Multiple unblinded reviewers determined the study eligibility and extracted data. Risk of bias was evaluated using the Cochrane Collaboration Tool for randomized controlled trials and the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organization of Care group methods for nonrandomized controlled trials. A random-effect model was used to provide the summary measures of effect (ie, standardized mean difference and 95% CI). All statistical analyses were performed using Stata 17.

RESULTS

We screened 3636 studies, but only 29 studies were included in the final review, of which 18 were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis demonstrated that eHealth interventions improved moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (standardized mean difference=0.18, 95% CI 0.07-0.28; P=.001) and vigorous-intensity physical activity (standardized mean difference=0.2, 95% CI 0.00-0.39; P=.048) but did not improve moderate-intensity physical activity (standardized mean difference=0.19, 95% CI -0.12 to 0.51; P=.23). No changes were observed in the cardiovascular-related outcomes. Post hoc subgroup analyses identified that wearable-based, web-based, and communication-based eHealth intervention delivery methods were effective.

CONCLUSIONS

eHealth interventions are effective at increasing minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity among patients in cardiac rehabilitation. There was no difference in the effectiveness of the major eHealth intervention delivery methods, thereby providing evidence that in the future, health care professionals and researchers can personalize convenient and affordable interventions tailored to patient characteristics and needs to eliminate the inconvenience of visiting center-based cardiac rehabilitation programs during the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide better support for home-based maintenance of cardiac rehabilitation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42021278029; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=278029.

Behaviour change techniques in cardiovascular disease smartphone apps to improve physical activity and sedentary behaviour: Systematic review and meta-regression

BACKGROUND

Smartphone apps are increasingly used to deliver physical activity and sedentary behaviour interventions for people with cardiovascular disease. However, the active components of these interventions which aim to change behaviours are unclear.

AIMS

To identify behaviour change techniques used in smartphone app interventions for improving physical activity and sedentary behaviour in people with cardiovascular disease. Secondly, to investigate the association of the identified techniques on improving these behaviours.

METHODS

Six databases (Medline, CINAHL Plus, Cochrane Library, SCOPUS, Sports Discus, EMBASE) were searched from 2007 to October 2020. Eligible studies used a smartphone app intervention for people with cardiovascular disease and reported a physical activity and/or sedentary behaviour outcome. The behaviour change techniques used within the apps for physical activity and/or sedentary behaviour were coded using the Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy (v1). The association of behaviour change techniques on physical activity outcomes were explored through meta-regression.

RESULTS

Forty behaviour change techniques were identified across the 19 included app-based interventions. Only two studies reported the behaviour change techniques used to target sedentary behaviour change. The most frequently used techniques for sedentary behaviour and physical activity were habit reversal and self-monitoring of behaviour respectively. In univariable analyses, action planning (β =0.42, 90%CrI 0.07-0.78) and graded tasks (β =0.33, 90%CrI -0.04-0.67) each had medium positive associations with increasing physical activity. Participants in interventions that used either self-monitoring outcome(s) of behaviour (i.e. outcomes other than physical activity) (β = - 0.47, 90%CrI -0.79--0.16), biofeedback (β = - 0.47, 90%CrI -0.81--0.15) and information about health consequences (β = - 0.42, 90%CrI -0.74--0.07) as behaviour change techniques, appeared to do less physical activity. In the multivariable model, these predictors were not clearly removed from zero.

CONCLUSION

The behaviour change techniques action planning and graded tasks are good candidates for causal testing in future experimental smartphone app designs.

Measurement of Adherence to mHealth Physical Activity Interventions and Exploration of the Factors That Affect the Adherence: Scoping Review and Proposed Framework

BACKGROUND

Mobile health (mHealth) is widely used as an innovative approach to delivering physical activity (PA) programs. Users' adherence to mHealth programs is important to ensure the effectiveness of mHealth-based programs.

OBJECTIVE

Our primary aim was to review the literature on the methods used to assess adherence, factors that could affect users' adherence, and the investigation of the association between adherence and health outcomes. Our secondary aim was to develop a framework to understand the role of adherence in influencing the effectiveness of mHealth PA programs.

METHODS

MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases were searched to identify studies that evaluated the use of mHealth to promote PA in adults aged ≥18 years. We used critical interpretive synthesis methods to summarize the data collected.

RESULTS

In total, 54 papers were included in this review. We identified 31 specific adherence measurement methods, which were summarized into 8 indicators; these indicators were mapped to 4 dimensions: length, breadth, depth, and interaction. Users' characteristics (5 factors), technology-related factors (12 factors), and contextual factors (1 factor) were reported to have impacts on adherence. The included studies reveal that adherence is significantly associated with intervention outcomes, including health behaviors, psychological indicators, and clinical indicators. A framework was developed based on these review findings.

CONCLUSIONS

This study developed an adherence framework linking together the adherence predictors, comprehensive adherence assessment, and clinical effectiveness. This framework could provide evidence for measuring adherence comprehensively and guide further studies on adherence to mHealth-based PA interventions. Future research should validate the utility of this proposed framework.

A Review of Virtual Coaching Systems in Healthcare: Closing the Loop With Real-Time Feedback

This review focuses on virtual coaching systems that were designed to enhance healthcare interventions, combining the available sensing and system-user interaction technologies. In total, more than 1,200 research papers have been retrieved and evaluated for the purposes of this review, which were obtained from three online databases (i.e.,PubMed, Scopus and IEEE Xplore) using an extensive set of search keywords. After applying exclusion criteria, the remaining 41 research papers were used to evaluate the status of virtual coaching systems over the past 10 years and assess current and future trends in this field. The results suggest that in home coaching systems were mainly focused in promoting physical activity and a healthier lifestyle, while a wider range of medical domains was considered in systems that were evaluated in lab environment. In home patient monitoring with IoT devices and sensors was mostly limited to activity trackers, pedometers and heart rate monitoring. Real-time evaluations and personalized patient feedback was also found to be rather lacking in home coaching systems and this is the most alarming find of this analysis. Feasibility studies in controlled environment and an ongoing active research on Horizon 2020 funded projects, show that the future trends in this field are aiming to close the loop with automated patient monitoring, real-time evaluations and more precise interventions.

Outcomes of a smartphone-based application with live health-coaching post-percutaneous coronary intervention

Background

The interval between inpatient hospitalization for symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD) and post-discharge office consultation is a vulnerable period for adverse events.

Methods

Content was customized on a smartphone app-based platform for hospitalized patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) which included education, tracking, reminders and live health coaches. We conducted a single-arm open-label pilot study of the app at two academic medical centers in a single health system, with subjects enrolled 02/2018–05/2019 and 1:3 propensity-matched historical controls from 01/2015–12/2017. To evaluate feasibility and efficacy, we assessed 30-day hospital readmission (primary), outpatient cardiovascular follow-up, and cardiac rehabilitation (CR) enrollment as recorded in the health system. Outcomes were assessed by Cox Proportional Hazards model.

Findings

118 of 324 eligible (36·4%) 21–85 year-old patients who underwent PCI for symptomatic CAD who owned a smartphone or tablet enrolled. Mean age was 62.5 (9·7) years, 87 (73·7%) were male, 40 of 118 (33·9%) had type 2 diabetes mellitus, 68 (57·6%) enrolled underwent PCI for MI and 59 (50·0%) had previously known CAD; demographics were similar among matched historical controls. No significant difference existed in all-cause readmission within 30 days (8·5% app vs 9·6% control, ARR -1.1% absolute difference, 95% CI -7·1–4·8, p = 0·699) or 90 days (16·1% app vs 19·5% control, p = 0.394). Rates of both 90-day CR enrollment (HR 1·99, 95% CI 1·30–3·06) and 1-month cardiovascular follow up (HR 1·83, 95% CI 1·43–2·34) were greater with the app. Weekly engagement at 30- and 90-days, as measured by percentage of weeks with at least one day of completion of tasks, was mean (SD) 73·5% (33·9%) and 63·5% (40·3%). Spearman correlation analyses indicated similar engagement across age, sex, and cardiovascular risk factors.

Interpretations

A post-PCI smartphone app with live health coaches yielded similarly high engagement across demographics and safely increased attendance in cardiac rehabilitation. Larger prospective randomized controlled trials are necessary to test whether this app improves cardiovascular outcomes following PCI.

Funding

National Institutes of Health, Boston Scientific.

Clinical trial registration

NCT03416920 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03416920).

Smartphone applications for physical activity and sedentary behaviour change in people with cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Smartphone applications provide new opportunities for secondary prevention healthcare. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine if smartphone applications are effective at changing physical activity and sedentary behaviour in people with cardiovascular disease.

METHODS

Six electronic databases (Medline, CINAHL Plus, Cochrane Library, SCOPUS, Sports Discus and EMBASE) were searched from 2007 to October 2020. Cardiovascular disease secondary prevention physical activity or sedentary behaviour interventions were included where the primary element was a smartphone or tablet computer application (excluding SMS-only text-messaging). Study quality was assessed using validated tools appropriate for each study design. Random effects model was used and the pooled mean difference between post scores were calculated. Subgroup analyses were conducted to examine differences based on diagnosis, sample size, age, intervention duration, activity tracker use, target behaviour, and self-report versus device-measured outcome.

RESULTS

Nineteen studies with a total of 1,543 participants were included (coronary heart disease, n = 10; hypertension, n = 4; stroke, n = 3; heart failure, n = 1; peripheral artery disease, n = 1). Risk of bias was rated as high. Thirteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. Only two controlled studies reported on sedentary behaviour. Smartphone applications produced a significant increase of 40.35 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity per week (7 studies; p = 0.04; 95% CI 1.03 to 79.67) and 2,390 steps per day (3 studies; p = 0.0007; 95% CI 1,006.9 to 3,791.2). Subgroup analyses found no difference when comparing diagnoses, sample size, activity tracker use, target behaviour and self-report versus device-measured outcome. Larger improvements in physical activity were noted in intervention durations of ≤3-months and participants ≥60yrs (95.35 mins.week-1; p = 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Smartphone applications were effective in increasing physical activity in people with cardiovascular disease. Caution is warranted for the low-quality evidence, small sample and larger coronary heart disease representation. More rigorous research is needed to investigate the effect of smartphone applications across diagnoses and in sedentary behaviour.

Smartphone-Based Interventions to Reduce Sedentary Behavior and Promote Physical Activity Using Integrated Dynamic Models: Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Traditional psychological theories are inadequate to fully leverage the potential of smartphones and improve the effectiveness of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) change interventions. Future interventions need to consider dynamic models taken from other disciplines, such as engineering (eg, control systems). The extent to which such dynamic models have been incorporated in the development of interventions for PA and SB remains unclear.

OBJECTIVE

This review aims to quantify the number of studies that have used dynamic models to develop smartphone-based interventions to promote PA and reduce SB, describe their features, and evaluate their effectiveness where possible.

METHODS

Databases including PubMed, PsycINFO, IEEE Xplore, Cochrane, and Scopus were searched from inception to May 15, 2019, using terms related to mobile health, dynamic models, SB, and PA. The included studies involved the following: PA or SB interventions involving human adults; either developed or evaluated integrated psychological theory with dynamic theories; used smartphones for the intervention delivery; the interventions were adaptive or just-in-time adaptive; included randomized controlled trials (RCTs), pilot RCTs, quasi-experimental, and pre-post study designs; and were published from 2000 onward. Outcomes included general characteristics, dynamic models, theory or construct integration, and measured SB and PA behaviors. Data were synthesized narratively. There was limited scope for meta-analysis because of the variability in the study results.

RESULTS

A total of 1087 publications were screened, with 11 publications describing 8 studies included in the review. All studies targeted PA; 4 also included SB. Social cognitive theory was the major psychological theory upon which the studies were based. Behavioral intervention technology, control systems, computational agent model, exploit-explore strategy, behavioral analytic algorithm, and dynamic decision network were the dynamic models used in the included studies. The effectiveness of quasi-experimental studies involved reduced SB (1 study; P=.08), increased light PA (1 study; P=.002), walking steps (2 studies; P=.06 and P<.001), walking time (1 study; P=.02), moderate-to-vigorous PA (2 studies; P=.08 and P=.81), and nonwalking exercise time (1 study; P=.31). RCT studies showed increased walking steps (1 study; P=.003) and walking time (1 study; P=.06). To measure activity, 5 studies used built-in smartphone sensors (ie, accelerometers), 3 of which used the phone's GPS, and 3 studies used wearable activity trackers.

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review to report on smartphone-based studies to reduce SB and promote PA with a focus on integrated dynamic models. These findings highlight the scarcity of dynamic model-based smartphone studies to reduce SB or promote PA. The limited number of studies that incorporate these models shows promising findings. Future research is required to assess the effectiveness of dynamic models in promoting PA and reducing SB.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) CRD42020139350; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=139350.

Cardiac Rehabilitation in German Speaking Countries of Europe-Evidence-Based Guidelines from Germany, Austria and Switzerland LLKardReha-DACH-Part 2

Background: Scientific guidelines have been developed to update and harmonize exercise based cardiac rehabilitation (ebCR) in German speaking countries. Key recommendations for ebCR indications have recently been published in part 1 of this journal. The present part 2 updates the evidence with respect to contents and delivery of ebCR in clinical practice, focusing on exercise training (ET), psychological interventions (PI), patient education (PE). In addition, special patients’ groups and new developments, such as telemedical (Tele) or home-based ebCR, are discussed as well. Methods: Generation of evidence and search of literature have been described in part 1. Results: Well documented evidence confirms the prognostic significance of ET in patients with coronary artery disease. Positive clinical effects of ET are described in patients with congestive heart failure, heart valve surgery or intervention, adults with congenital heart disease, and peripheral arterial disease. Specific recommendations for risk stratification and adequate exercise prescription for continuous-, interval-, and strength training are given in detail. PI when added to ebCR did not show significant positive effects in general. There was a positive trend towards reduction in depressive symptoms for “distress management” and “lifestyle changes”. PE is able to increase patients’ knowledge and motivation, as well as behavior changes, regarding physical activity, dietary habits, and smoking cessation. The evidence for distinct ebCR programs in special patients’ groups is less clear. Studies on Tele-CR predominantly included low-risk patients. Hence, it is questionable, whether clinical results derived from studies in conventional ebCR may be transferred to Tele-CR. Conclusions: ET is the cornerstone of ebCR. Additional PI should be included, adjusted to the needs of the individual patient. PE is able to promote patients self-management, empowerment, and motivation. Diversity-sensitive structures should be established to interact with the needs of special patient groups and gender issues. Tele-CR should be further investigated as a valuable tool to implement ebCR more widely and effectively.

Digital Health Interventions for Cardiac Rehabilitation: Systematic Literature Review

Background

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Despite strong evidence supporting the benefits of cardiac rehabilitation (CR), over 80% of eligible patients do not participate in CR. Digital health technologies (ie, the delivery of care using the internet, wearable devices, and mobile apps) have the potential to address the challenges associated with traditional facility-based CR programs, but little is known about the comprehensiveness of these interventions to serve as digital approaches to CR. Overall, there is a lack of a systematic evaluation of the current literature on digital interventions for CR.

Objective

The objective of this systematic literature review is to provide an in-depth analysis of the potential of digital health technologies to address the challenges associated with traditional CR. Through this review, we aim to summarize the current literature on digital interventions for CR, identify the key components of CR that have been successfully addressed through digital interventions, and describe the gaps in research that need to be addressed for sustainable and scalable digital CR interventions.

Methods

Our strategy for identifying the primary literature pertaining to CR with digital solutions (defined as technology employed to deliver remote care beyond the use of the telephone) included a consultation with an expert in the field of digital CR and searches of the PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases for original studies published from January 1990 to October 2018.

Results

Our search returned 31 eligible studies, of which 22 were randomized controlled trials. The reviewed CR interventions primarily targeted physical activity counseling (31/31, 100%), baseline assessment (30/31, 97%), and exercise training (27/31, 87%). The most commonly used modalities were smartphones or mobile devices (20/31, 65%), web-based portals (18/31, 58%), and email-SMS (11/31, 35%). Approximately one-third of the studies addressed the CR core components of nutrition counseling, psychological management, and weight management. In contrast, less than a third of the studies addressed other CR core components, including the management of lipids, diabetes, smoking cessation, and blood pressure.

Conclusions

Digital technologies have the potential to increase access and participation in CR by mitigating the challenges associated with traditional, facility-based CR. However, previously evaluated interventions primarily focused on physical activity counseling and exercise training. Thus, further research is required with more comprehensive CR interventions and long-term follow-up to understand the clinical impact of digital interventions.

Mobile Technologies to Promote Physical Activity during Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Scoping Review

Promoting regular physical activity (PA) and improving exercise capacity are the primary goals of cardiac rehabilitation (CR). Mobile technologies (mTechs) like smartphones, smartwatches, and fitness trackers might help patients in reaching these goals. This review aimed to scope current scientific literature on mTechs in CR to assess the impact on patients' exercise capacity and to identify gaps and future directions for research. PubMed, CENTRAL, and CDSR were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). These RCTs had to utilize mTechs to objectively monitor and promote PA of patients during or following CR, aim at improvements in exercise capacity, and be published between December 2014 and December 2019. A total of 964 publications were identified, and 13 studies met all inclusion criteria. Home-based CR with mTechs vs. outpatient CR without mTechs and outpatient CR with mTechs vs. outpatient CR without mTechs did not lead to statistically significant differences in exercise capacity. In contrast, outpatient CR followed by home-based CR with mTechs led to significant improvement in exercise capacity as compared to outpatient CR without further formal CR. Supplying patients with mTechs may improve exercise capacity. To ensure that usage of and compliance with mTechs is optimal, a concentrated effort of CR staff has to be achieved. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented lack of patient support while away from institutional CR. Even though mTechs lend themselves as suitable assistants, evidence is lacking that they can fill this gap.

Implementation of Telerehabilitation Interventions for the Self-Management of Cardiovascular Disease: Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of disability and deaths worldwide. Secondary prevention, including cardiac rehabilitation (CR), is crucial to improve risk factors and to reduce disease burden and disability. Accessibility barriers contribute to underutilization of traditional center-based CR programs; therefore, alternative delivery models, including cardiac telerehabilitation (ie, delivery via mobile, smartphone, and/or web-based apps), have been tested. Experimental studies have shown cardiac telerehabilitation to be effective and cost-effective, but there is inadequate evidence about how to translate this research into routine clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review aimed to synthesize research evaluating the effectiveness of implementing cardiac telerehabilitation interventions at scale in routine clinical practice, including factors underlying successful implementation processes, and experimental research evaluating implementation-related outcomes.

METHODS

MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and Global Health databases were searched from 1990 through November 9, 2018, for studies evaluating the implementation of telerehabilitation for the self-management of CHD. Reference lists of included studies and relevant systematic reviews were hand searched to identify additional studies. Implementation outcomes of interest included acceptability, appropriateness, adoption, feasibility, fidelity, implementation cost, penetration, and sustainability. A narrative synthesis of results was carried out.

RESULTS

No included studies evaluated the implementation of cardiac telerehabilitation in routine clinical practice. A total of 10 studies of 2250 participants evaluated implementation outcomes, including acceptability (8/10, 80%), appropriateness (9/10, 90%), adoption (6/10, 60%), feasibility (6/10, 60%), fidelity (7/10, 70%), and implementation cost (4/10, 40%), predominantly from the participant perspective. Cardiac telerehabilitation interventions had high acceptance among the majority of participants, but technical challenges such as reliable broadband internet connectivity can impact acceptability and feasibility. Many participants considered telerehabilitation to be an appropriate alternative CR delivery model, as it was convenient, flexible, and easy to access. Participants valued interactive intervention components, such as real-time exercise monitoring and feedback as well as individualized support. The penetration and sustainability of cardiac telerehabilitation, as well as the perspectives of CR practitioners and health care organizations, have received little attention in existing cardiac telerehabilitation research.

CONCLUSIONS

Experimental trials suggest that participants perceive cardiac telerehabilitation to be an acceptable and appropriate approach to improve the reach and utilization of CR, but pragmatic implementation studies are needed to understand how interventions can be sustainably translated from research into clinical practice. Addressing this gap could help realize the potential impact of telerehabilitation on CR accessibility and participation as well as person-centered, health, and economic outcomes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) CRD42019124254; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=124254.

Barriers to and Facilitators of Technology in Cardiac Rehabilitation and Self-Management: Systematic Qualitative Grounded Theory Review

Background

Dealing with cardiovascular disease is challenging, and people often struggle to follow rehabilitation and self-management programs. Several systematic reviews have explored quantitative evidence on the potential of digital interventions to support cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and self-management. However, although promising, evidence regarding the effectiveness and uptake of existing interventions is mixed. This paper takes a different but complementary approach, focusing on qualitative data related to people’s experiences of technology in this space.

Objective

Through a qualitative approach, this review aims to engage more directly with people’s experiences of technology that supports CR and self-management. The primary objective of this paper is to provide answers to the following research question: What are the primary barriers to and facilitators and trends of digital interventions to support CR and self-management? This question is addressed by synthesizing evidence from both medical and computer science literature. Given the strong evidence from the field of human-computer interaction that user-centered and iterative design methods increase the success of digital health interventions, we also assess the degree to which user-centered and iterative methods have been applied in previous work.

Methods

A grounded theory literature review of articles from the following major electronic databases was conducted: ACM Digital Library, PsycINFO, Scopus, and PubMed. Papers published in the last 10 years, 2009 to 2019, were considered, and a systematic search with predefined keywords was conducted. Papers were screened against predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Comparative and in-depth analysis of the extracted qualitative data was carried out through 3 levels of iterative coding and concept development.

Results

A total of 4282 articles were identified in the initial search. After screening, 61 articles remained, which were both qualitative and quantitative studies and met our inclusion criteria for technology use and health condition. Of the 61 articles, 16 qualitative articles were included in the final analysis. Key factors that acted as barriers and facilitators were background knowledge and in-the-moment understanding, personal responsibility and social connectedness, and the need to support engagement while avoiding overburdening people. Although some studies applied user-centered methods, only 6 involved users throughout the design process. There was limited evidence of studies applying iterative approaches.

Conclusions

The use of technology is acceptable to many people undergoing CR and self-management. Although background knowledge is an important facilitator, technology should also support greater ongoing and in-the-moment understanding. Connectedness is valuable, but to avoid becoming a barrier, technology must also respect and enable individual responsibility. Personalization and gamification can also act as facilitators of engagement, but care must be taken to avoid overburdening people. Further application of user-centered and iterative methods represents a significant opportunity in this space.

Influence of Connected Health Interventions for Adherence to Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Recent health care developments include connected health interventions to improve chronic disease management and/or promote actions reducing aggravating risk factors for conditions such as cardiovascular diseases. Adherence is one of the main challenges for ensuring the correct use of connected health interventions over time.

OBJECTIVE

This scoping review deals with the connected health interventions used in interventional studies, describing the ways in which these interventions and their functions effectively help patients to deal with cardiovascular risk factors over time, in their own environments. The objective is to acquire knowledge and highlight current trends in this field, which is currently both productive and immature.

METHODS

A structured literature review was constructed from Medline-indexed journals in PubMed. We established inclusion criteria relating to three dimensions (cardiovascular risk factors, connected health interventions, and level of adherence). Our initial search yielded 98 articles; 78 were retained after screening on the basis of title and abstract, 49 articles underwent full-text screening, and 24 were finally retained for the analysis, according to preestablished inclusion criteria. We excluded studies of invasive interventions and studies not dealing with digital health. We extracted a description of the connected health interventions from data for the population or end users.

RESULTS

We performed a synthetic analysis of outcomes, based on the distribution of bibliometrics, and identified several connected health interventions and main characteristics affecting adherence. Our analysis focused on three types of user action: to read, to do, and to connect. Finally, we extracted current trends in characteristics: connect, adherence, and influence.

CONCLUSION

Connected health interventions for prevention are unlikely to affect outcomes significantly unless other characteristics and user preferences are considered. Future studies should aim to determine which connected health design combinations are the most effective for supporting long-term changes in behavior and for preventing cardiovascular disease risks.

Patient Experiences of Rehabilitation and the Potential for an mHealth System with Biofeedback After Breast Cancer Surgery: Qualitative Study

Background

Physiotherapy-led home rehabilitation after breast cancer surgery can protect against the development of upper limb dysfunction and other disabling consequences of surgery. A variety of barriers can limit physical rehabilitation outcomes, and patients may benefit from more support during this time. Mobile health (mHealth) systems can assist patients during rehabilitation by providing exercise support, biofeedback, and information. Before designing mHealth systems for a specific population, developers must first engage with users to understand their experiences and needs.

Objective

The aims of this study were to explore patients’ rehabilitation experiences and unmet needs during home rehabilitation after breast cancer surgery and to understand their experiences of mHealth technology and the requirements they desire from an mHealth system.

Methods

This was the first stage of a user-centered design process for an mHealth system. We interviewed 10 breast cancer survivors under the two main topics of “Rehabilitation” and “Technology” and performed a thematic analysis on the interview data.

Results

Discussions regarding rehabilitation focused on the acute and long-term consequences of surgery; unmet needs and lack of support; self-driven rehabilitation; and visions for high-quality rehabilitation. Regarding technology, participants reported a lack of mHealth options for this clinical context and using non-cancer–specific applications and wearables. Participants requested an mHealth tool from a reliable source that provides exercise support.

Conclusions

There are unmet needs surrounding access to physiotherapy, information, and support during home rehabilitation after breast cancer surgery that could be addressed with an mHealth system. Breast cancer survivors are open to using an mHealth system and require that it comes from a reliable source and focuses on supporting exercise performance.

Home-based telerehabilitation software systems for remote supervising: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

In the past decade, with the ever-increasing growth of information and communication technologies, telerehabilitation, especially home-based rehabilitation (HBR), has been widely considered by researchers. Many software systems are developed to address HBR programs, which includes various functionalities. The aim of this study is to review the functional features of these systems designed for remote supervising of HBR programs.

METHODS

Scopus, PubMed, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Library, IEEE Xplore Digital Library, and ProQuest databases were searched for English-language articles published between January 2008 and February 2018 to retrieve studies reported an home-based telerehabilitation software system aiming to remotely supervise HBR program.

RESULTS

A total of fifty studies that reported twenty-two unique systems met the inclusion criteria. Various functional features were identified including but not limited to exercise plan management, report/statistics generating, patient education, and task scheduling. Disorders or diseases addressed by these systems could mainly be grouped into five categories: musculoskeletal, neurological, respiratory, cardiovascular, and other health-related problems. Usability and acceptability, and clinical/patient outcomes were the most reported outcomes and data analysis was used by the majority of included studies to measure the outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Systems developed for supervising of HBR program are diverse. However, preliminary results of this review revealed that these systems share more or less common functionalities. However, further research is needed to determine the requirements, structure, and effectiveness of these systems in real-life settings.

The effect of mobile applications for improving adherence in cardiac rehabilitation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Despite of the established effectiveness, the acceptance and adherence of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) remains sub-optimal. Mobile technologies are increasingly used in promoting CR without any firm evidence of their safety and efficacy. This systematic review and meta-analysis were aimed to assess the effect of mobile applications as an intervention for improving adherence to CR.

METHODS

Relevant studies were searched in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase and Web of Science from inception to 29th December 2018. Eligible studies were the ones which used mobile applications as a stand-alone intervention or as the primary component for the intervention directed at improving CR adherence, without any limitations on outpatient or home-based CR.

RESULTS

Eight studies were eligible for the systematic review including four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) as well as four before-after studies of which only one had control group. Four RCTs and 185 patients in experimental group were included in meta-analysis, which had evaluated the effect of mobile health applications on CR completion and had reported that the adherence of patients using mobile applications was 1.4 times higher than the control group (RR = 1.38; CI 1.16 to 1.65; P = 0.0003). Moreover, we also found mixed results in exercise capacity, mental health and quality of life.

CONCLUSION

The use of mobile applications for improving the adherence of the CR might be effective. However, it appears to be in the initial stage of implementing mobile applications in CR and more research is essential to validate their effectiveness.

Persuasive design features within a consumer-focused eHealth intervention integrated with the electronic health record: A mixed methods study of effectiveness and acceptability

INTRODUCTION

eHealth strategies targeting health-related behaviour often incorporate persuasive software design. To further engage patients with their overall health management, consumer-facing web portals may be integrated with data from one or more care providers. This study aimed to explore effectiveness for healthier behaviour of persuasive design characteristics within a web application integrated with the primary health care electronic record; also patient and general practitioner (GP) preferences for future integrated records.

METHODS

Mixed methods study within the Consumer Navigation of Electronic Cardiovascular Tools randomised controlled trial. Participants were patients with moderate-high risk of cardiovascular disease, and their GPs. Survey and web analytic data were analysed with descriptive statistics. Interview and focus group transcripts were recorded, transcribed, coded and analysed for themes.

RESULTS

Surveys (n = 397) received from patients indicated improved medication adherence (31.8%); improved mental health and well-being (40%); higher physical activity (47%); and healthier eating (61%). Users of the interactive features reported benefiting from personalised cardiovascular disease risk score (73%); goal tracking (69%); risk factor self-monitoring (52%) and receipt of motivational health tips (54%). Focus group and interview participants (n = 55) described customisations that would increase portal appeal and relevance, including more provider interaction. Of the GP survey respondents (n = 38), 74% reported increased patient attendance and engagement with their care. For future integrated portals, 94% of GPs were in favour and key themes among interviewees (n = 17) related to design optimisation, impact on workflow and data security.

CONCLUSION

Intervention features reflecting the persuasive design categories of Primary Task support, Dialogue support and System Credibility support facilitated healthier lifestyle behaviour. Patients valued customisable functions and greater patient-provider interactivity. GPs identified system challenges but saw advantages for patients and the health care relationship. Future studies could further elucidate the persuasive design principles that are at play and which may promote adoption of EHR-integrated consumer portals.

Impact of cardiac rehabilitation and exercise training programs in coronary heart disease

Cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR) is the process of developing and maintaining an optimal level of physical, social, and psychological well-being in order to promote recovery from cardiovascular (CV) illness. It is a multi-disciplinary approach encompassing supervised exercise training, patient counseling, education and nutritional guidance that may also enhance quality of life. Beneficial CV effects may include improving coronary heart disease risk factors; particularly exercise capacity, reversing cardiac remodeling, and favorably modifying metabolism and systemic oxygen transport. We review the historical basis for contemporary CR, the indications and critical components of CR, as well as the potential salutary physiological and clinical effects of exercise-based CR.