The effect of a text message and telephone follow-up program on cardiac self-efficacy of patients with coronary artery disease: A randomized controlled trial

Health Educational Methods for Improving Self-Efficacy Among Patients with Coronary Heart Disease: A Scoping Review

Background

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, with higher prevalence in low and middle-income countries. Self-efficacy (SE) is an essential element that affects a patients ability to manage their care, and low SE levels in patients with CHD can lead to poor health outcomes and quality of life. Planning suitable methods to improve SE in CHD patients is essential.

Purpose

This review explores health education methods to improve SE in patients with CHD.

Methods

Scoping review is reported based on the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). A literature search was conducted using relevant keywords from six primary databases, such as CINAHL Plus with Full Text and Academic Search Complete, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Taylor and Francis, and one search engine, Google Scholar. The inclusion criteria were full-text articles in English that were accessible, research articles with experimental designs. The quality of evidence was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist, and data synthesis was used thematically with an explorative, descriptive approach.

Results

Fifteen articles were found and included in the review. There are two types of interventions such as traditional and digital-based health education. The media used in traditional health education are booklets, pamphlets, posters, and workbooks. In addition, digital-based health education generally uses websites, social platforms, mobile applications, video players and sound clips.

Conclusion

This review found that traditional health education and digital-based interventions improve SE, knowledge, self-esteem and health literacy levels, in CHD patients. Health professionals, including nurses, may used both methods in improving self efficacy in CHD patients.

The effect of hospital-to-home transitional care using a digital messaging application on the health outcomes of patients undergoing CABG and their family caregivers: a randomized controlled trial study protocol

Objectives

Given the increasing trend of care transition from healthcare settings to patients' own home, patients and their family caregivers should take more responsibilities for care at own home. This study is going to investigate the effect of a transitional care program from hospital to own home using a digital messaging application on patients' undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and their family caregivers' health outcomes.

Methods

A parallel randomized controlled trial study will be conducted in a hospital in a metropolis located in southwestern Iran. Sampling will be performed sequentially and the eligible dyad of patients and family caregivers will be randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group will receive a transitional care program for 8 weeks using the WhatsApp on the mobile phone based on the person-centered care approach, but the control group will receive routine care for patient's transition. Data collection will be conducted at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and two months after the intervention using demographic questionnaire, Cardiac Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES), MacNew Heart Disease Health-Related Quality of Life questionnaire (MNHD-Q), Cardiac Symptom Scale (CSS), Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, and Caregiver Burden Scale (CBS). Descriptive and inferential statistics will be used for data analysis.

Conclusions

The results of this study will allow evaluating the effectiveness of an innovative transitional care program to patients' own home using a digital messaging application. If the transitional program is shown feasible and effective it can be incorporated into existing care programs and stimulate further studies on the use of digital solutions for improving the continuity of care in own home.

Self-Efficacy in Self-Care and Its Related Factors Among Patients with Coronary Heart Disease in Indonesia: A Rasch Analysis

Background

Low self-efficacy (SE) can impact decreasing health status, poor self-care, and quality of life among patients with Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). Many factors can affect SE. However, studies on SE in CHD patients with Rasch Model analysis have not been carried out widely.

Purpose

This study aims to identify the SE in self-care and its related factors that correlate SE among CHD patients.

Patients and Methods

Cross-sectional study was conducted on 104 adult patients (≥18 years) diagnosed with CHD. Selection of the sample using convenience sampling technique with several predetermined criteria. SE was measured using the SEQ-CHDM questionnaire, with high validity and reliability results. Data were analyzed using the Rasch model and chi-square test.

Results

The results showed that most respondents had a moderate SE (51.5%). Care units (p=0.003) and duration of illness (p=0.049) were significantly correlated to SE among patients with CHD. "Maintaining an ideal body weight" is the most challenging thing. On the other hand, stop smoking is the most confident thing to be performed by the respondents.

Conclusion

We conclude that CHD patients in the acute care unit and patients with a duration of illness >6 months have a lower tendency for SE. Health interventions such as raising awareness about the disease, modifying health behavior, and immediately screening can improve patients' SE. Besides that, proper diagnosis and ongoing treatment are crucial to improving SE and CHD care outcomes.

The Effect of the Family-Centered Self-Care Program on the Health Literacy Level and Self-Efficacy of Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome During Discharge from Hospital

Background

One of the factors effective in controlling acute coronary syndrome (ACS) symptoms, such as heart failure, is sufficient knowledge of the disease, factors effective on its occurrence, and its prevention. Moreover, the improvement of self-efficacy, which is a predictor of important life factors in these patients, such as treatment process and quality of life (QOL), must be considered as one of the main goals of nursing care for these patients. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the family-centered self-care program on the health literacy level and self-efficacy of patients with ACS during hospital discharge.

Materials and Methods

The present study was a quasi-experimental study performed with a pretest-posttest design. The statistical population of the study consisted of all patients with ACS hospitalized at Shahid Chamran Hospital in Isfahan in 2020. Through the convenience sampling method, 50 patients were selected and randomly divided into intervention and control groups. For the intervention group, 6 sessions of 45-60 minutes of family-centered self-care intervention were held. The subjects completed the Health Literacy for Iranian Adults (HELIA) questionnaire before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using Chi-square test, independent t-test, and paired t-test in the SPSS statistical software.

Results

The mean score of health literacy did not significantly differ between the intervention and control groups before the intervention (p > 0.050). However, after the intervention, this rate was equal to 82.16 (7.94) and 60.85 (15.71) in the intervention and control groups, respectively, which was significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the mean self-efficacy score before the intervention (p > 0.05). However, after the intervention, this score was significantly higher in the intervention group 34.71 (10.11) compared to the control group 35.22 (13.30).

Conclusions

Family-centered self-care program after discharge, as a simple, applicable, and efficient method can improve the health literacy level and self-efficacy of patients with ACS.

Patient Assessment of Care with Chronic Cardiovascular Disorders and Its Relationship with Self-Efficacy: A Cross-Sectional Study

INTRODUCTION

Patients' assessment of care navigating cardiovascular disorders is imperative in improving the quality of care provided. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of people living with cardiovascular disorders on the care they received and its relationship with general self-efficacy.

METHODS

This investigation employed a cross-sectional correlational approach. The study sample was comprised of patients with cardiovascular disorders from both the King Khalid Hospital and the King Salman Specialist Hospital, in Hail City, Saudi Arabia. Convenience sampling was used, resulting in 104 participants. A survey using a self-administered questionnaire was employed to collect the data, which ran from 10 March to 20 May 2023.

RESULTS

The participants perceived that they occasionally (2.75 ± 1.053) received care, and they perceived themselves to have better self-efficacy (25.28/40). Of note, the age (0.062), years of being diagnosed with having the disease (-0.174), sex (0.180), educational attainment (0.125), and occupation (0.206) were found to have no significant relationship with the patient assessment of care with chronic cardiovascular disease (PACIC). However, civil status (0.867) was found to have a strong positive correlation to the PACIC. No significant relationship was found between age and GSE (0.070) and PACIC (0.62), civil status with GSE (0.013), years being diagnosed with having the disease with GSE (0.095), and PACIC (0.174) educational attainment with GSE (0.088) and PACIC (0.125) or occupation (0.115) with GSE. However, sex (0.795) was found to have a strong correlation with general self-efficacy (GSE). Of note, patient activation (0.390) and goal setting (0.360) had a moderate positive correlation while problem solving (0.228) and follow-up (0.278) had a weak positive correlation to GSE. Meanwhile, the delivery system (0.507) had a strong positive correlation to GSE. This study illuminates the value of self-efficacy and patient involvement as self-management techniques for cardiovascular illnesses. Future cardiovascular illness self-management initiatives should concentrate on enhancing patient self-efficacy by adopting the PACIC.

Effectiveness of a motivated, action-based intervention on improving physical activity level, exercise self-efficacy and cardiovascular risk factors of patients with coronary heart disease in Sri Lanka: A randomized controlled trial protocol

Background

Coronary heart disease (CHD), is the major contributor to cardiac-associated mortality worldwide. Lifestyle modification, including physical activity, is highly recommended for secondary prevention for patients with CHD. However, many people in Sri Lanka with CHD do not engage in adequate physical activity.

Objective

To develop a culture-specific, motivated, and action-based intervention and examine its effects on physical activity level, exercise self-efficacy, and cardiovascular risk factors among patients with CHD.

Methods and materials

This is an assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial that will recruit 150 patients with CHD from the inpatients cardiac unit of a hospital in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, and will randomly assign them either to the intervention group or the control group. The participants in the intervention group will receive a culture-specific and motivated, action-based intervention in addition to the usual care, while participants in the control will only receive the usual care. The intervention consists of a face-to-face preparatory session and 12-week motivated, action-based sessions which were developed based on the health action process approach (HAPA) framework. The face-to-face preparatory session will identify the health needs of the participants, develop a goal-oriented patient-centered action plan, and provide knowledge and an overview of the program. The 12-week motivated, action-based sessions consist of three monthly group education and center-based group exercises, followed by three 20-min individualized telephone follow-ups. Outcomes will be assessed immediately after the intervention and at one-month post-intervention.

Discussion

This protocol proposes a supervised centered-based group exercise with group education, and individualized telephone follow-ups guided by the HAPA framework to improve the physical activity level, exercise self-efficacy, and cardiovascular risk factors of patients with CHD. Results from this study will inform the effectiveness of a motivated, action-based intervention in a low-resource setting and provide information on the feasibility, barriers, and facilitators for lifestyle modification in Sri Lanka.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrial.gov.org PRS: NCT05051774; Date of registration: September 21, 2021.

Comparison of the effectiveness of home visits and telephone follow-up on the self-efficacy of patients having un-dergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) and the burden of their family caregivers: A randomized con-trolled trial

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to compare home visits and telephone follow-up effectiveness on patients' self-efficacy undergoing Coro-nary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery -CABG- and caregivers' burden.

METHODS

In this randomized clinical trial, 114 patients undergoing CABG were assigned to the three groups of home visits, telephone follow-up, and control based on the stratified block randomization. The self-management program of the home visit group included four face-to-face 60-minute training sessions once a week, and for the telephone follow-up group, four 30-minute telephone counseling sessions twice each week for a month. The control group received routine care. Data were collected using the cardiac rehabilitation self-efficacy questionnaire and the caregiver burden scale before and after the interven-tion.

RESULTS

Before the study, there were no statistically significant differences between the three groups in terms of the means of self-efficacy and caregiver burden scores. However, there was a statistically significant difference between the home visit and control groups (p<0.001) and between the telephone follow-up and control groups (p<0.001) after the intervention, with in-creased self-efficacy and reduced caregiver burden reported. In contrast, there was no significant difference between the home visit and telephone follow-up groups regarding self-efficacy and caregiver burden scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Both methods of self-management education have similar effectiveness in increasing self-efficacy and reducing the care-giver burden after discharge for patients who have undergone CABG.

Comparison of the effectiveness of home visits and telephone follow-up on the self-efficacy of patients having un-dergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) and the burden of their family caregivers: A randomized con-trolled trial

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to compare home visits and telephone follow-up effectiveness on patients' self-efficacy undergoing Coro-nary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery -CABG- and caregivers' burden.

METHODS

In this randomized clinical trial, 114 patients undergoing CABG were assigned to the three groups of home visits, telephone follow-up, and control based on the stratified block randomization. The self-management program of the home visit group included four face-to-face 60-minute training sessions once a week, and for the telephone follow-up group, four 30-minute telephone counseling sessions twice each week for a month. The control group received routine care. Data were collected using the cardiac rehabilitation self-efficacy questionnaire and the caregiver burden scale before and after the interven-tion.

RESULTS

Before the study, there were no statistically significant differences between the three groups in terms of the means of self-efficacy and caregiver burden scores. However, there was a statistically significant difference between the home visit and control groups (p<0.001) and between the telephone follow-up and control groups (p<0.001) after the intervention, with in-creased self-efficacy and reduced caregiver burden reported. In contrast, there was no significant difference between the home visit and telephone follow-up groups regarding self-efficacy and caregiver burden scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Both methods of self-management education have similar effectiveness in increasing self-efficacy and reducing the care-giver burden after discharge for patients who have undergone CABG.

Effect of media messages on health-promoting lifestyle of acute coronary syndrome patients: A randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND

Patient education is a key factor in promoting the health of people with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and the effective use of technology can play an important role in this regard. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of education using media messages on the lifestyle of patients with ACS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The present clinical trial was conducted on 91 cases with ACS admitted to the cardiac ward of Afshar Hospital in Yazd, Iran, during 2018-2019, who were randomly assigned to control and intervention groups. The former only was provided with routine training before discharge, while the latter, in addition to routine training before discharge, received education on social networking and sending text/visual messages. At baseline and 3 months after the intervention, the Walker's Lifestyle Questionnaire was completed. The independent t-test, paired t-test, and Chi-square test were employed for data analysis.

RESULTS

The average lifestyle value of the intervention group was significantly higher compared with the control group after the intervention (P < 0.001). Moreover, the lifestyle score was significantly different pre- and post-intervention in the intervention group (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Education using media messages is useful to promote the lifestyle in cases with ACS, which seems effective in planning the follow-up for these patients.

Effectivity of Health Education with Telenursing on the Self-care Ability of Coronary Artery Disease Patients: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) develops chronically and progressively, causes recurrence and premature death, so a good knowledge of changes in self-care behavior by patients is needed. Telenursing can be a medium for health education to allow patients to receive information and for nurses to follow up on health conditions without being obstructed by distance, place, time, and carried out sustainably. So far, telenursing has not been reviewed as a recent intervention to deliver education to CAD patients. AIM: This systematic review aimed to determine the effectiveness of health education interventions with telenursing on the self-care of CAD patients based on the implementation media. METHODS: Systematic reviews were conducted based on items found in CINAHL EBSCO, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar from 2008 to 2019. The combination of keywords used Indonesian and English language. All articles were assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool for randomized controlled trial (RCT) and quasi-experiment. After that, the study found was synthesized narratively. RESULTS: A total of 11.319 titles were identified, and seven studies met inclusion criteria with 3313 participants. Six studies were RCT studies, and one was a quasi-experimental study. The results of the narrative synthesis conducted on seven articles showed that health education by telenursing was effective in improving self-care ability, such as maintaining blood pressure, body mass index, hemoglobin A1c levels, fasting blood glucose, and low-density lipoprotein within normal limits. In addition, there was also an increase in physical activity, dietary compliance (consumption of fruits, vegetables and fish), control of salt intake, smoking, and alcohol cessation. The media used were phone calls and text messages. CONCLUSION: This review provides evidence that health education interventions effectively improve the self-care abilities of CAD patients with the media used are text messages and telephone calls.

Effectiveness of nurse-led counselling and education on self-efficacy of patients with acute coronary syndrome: A randomized controlled trial

Aim

Adherence to lifestyle recommendations, medical regimens and cardiac rehabilitation is poor among patients with acute coronary syndrome. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of nurse‐led counselling and education using a person‐centred care approach on short‐term cardiac self‐efficacy in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Design

A parallel, two‐armed, randomized controlled trial was conducted.

Methods

One hundred twenty patients who were hospitalized with diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome were selected and randomly assigned into intervention (n = 60) or control (n = 60) groups. In the intervention group, in addition to routine care, the nurse‐led counselling and education programme included two face‐to‐face sessions, two telephone counselling and education sessions, using the person‐centred care approach. Participants in the control group received only routine care. Data were collected using the cardiac self‐efficacy scale before the intervention and 1 month after discharge.

Results

After the intervention, we found that cardiac self‐efficacy, including the perceived self‐efficacy to control symptoms and maintain function, was statistically significantly higher in the intervention group than the control group.

Impact of Telenursing on Blood Pressure and Body Mass Index of People with Prehypertension: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND

Prehypertension is an important global health challenge. This study determines the effect of telenursing on Blood Pressure (BP) and Body Mass Index (BMI) in patients with prehypertension.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This randomized controlled clinical trial study included 81 patients with prehypertension discharged from an emergency room at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (Iran) in 2016. Participants joined a session about hypertension, risk factors, and lifestyle modification to reduce its risk. Using a random number table, 41 subjects were assigned to the experimental group and 40 subjects to the control group. Only the experimental group received four SMS messages each week and a 10-15 min phone call once a month to help them change their lifestyle and reinforce their health behaviors. Eventually, patients' information was collected, and the data were analyzed using independent t, paired t, and Chi-square tests.

RESULTS

The experimental group after the intervention had a significantly lower mean (Standard Deviation [SD]) of Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) (from 126.67 [5.15] to 119.21 [5.72] [t 40 = 8.40, p < 0.001]) and Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) [from 85.28 (2.29) to 78.79 (4.16) (t 40 = 10.02, p < 0.001)]. However, the same means were not significantly different in the control group [SBP (p = 0.116) and DBP (p = 0.096)]. The mean (SD) of changes between BMI before and after the intervention was -0.75 (0.66) in the experimental and 0.042 (0.41) in the control group, which was significantly different between the two groups (t 79= -6.44, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Telenursing can have potential benefits to maintain BP within the normal range and reduce BMI in patients with prehypertension.

The Use of SMS Text Messaging to Improve the Hospital-to-Community Transition in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome (Txt2Prevent): Results From a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a leading cause of hospital admission in North America. Many patients with ACS experience challenges after discharge that impact their clinical outcomes and psychosocial well-being. SMS text messaging has the potential to provide support to patients during this postdischarge period.

OBJECTIVE

This study pilot tested a 60-day SMS text messaging intervention (Txt2Prevent) for patients with ACS. The primary objective was to compare self-management domains between usual care and usual care plus Txt2Prevent. The secondary objectives were to compare medication adherence, health-related quality of life, self-efficacy, and health care resource use between groups. The third objective was to assess the feasibility of the study protocol and the acceptability of the intervention.

METHODS

This was a randomized controlled trial with blinding of outcome assessors. We recruited 76 patients with ACS from St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, Canada, and randomized them to 1 of 2 groups within 7 days of discharge. The Txt2Prevent program included automated 1-way SMS text messages about follow-up care, self-management, and healthy living. Data were collected during the index admission and at 60 days after randomization. The primary outcome was measured with the Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ). Other outcomes included the EQ-5D-5L, EQ-5D-5L Visual Analog Scale, a modified Sullivan Cardiac Self-Efficacy Scale, and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale scores, and self-reported health care resource use. Analyses of covariance were used to test the effect of group assignment on follow-up scores (controlling for baseline) and were considered exploratory in nature. Feasibility was assessed with descriptive characteristics of the study protocol. Acceptability was assessed with 2 survey questions and semistructured interviews.

RESULTS

There were no statistically significant differences between the groups for the heiQ domains (adjusted mean difference [Txt2Prevent minus usual care] for each domain-Health-directed activity: -0.13, 95% CI -0.39 to 0.13, P=.31; Positive and active engagement in life: 0.03, 95% CI -0.19 to 0.25, P=.76; Emotional distress: 0.04, 95% CI -0.22 to 0.29, P=.77; Self-monitoring and insight: -0.14, 95% CI -0.33 to 0.05, P=.15; Constructive attitudes and approaches: -0.10, 95% CI -0.36 to 0.17, P=.47; Skill technique and acquisition: 0.05, 95% CI -0.18 to 0.27, P=.69; Social integration and support: -0.12, 95% CI -0.34 to 0.10, P=.27; and Health services navigation: -0.05, 95% CI -0.29 to 0.19, P=.69). For the secondary outcomes, there were no statistically significant differences in adjusted analyses except in 1 self-efficacy domain (Total plus), where the Txt2Prevent group had lower scores (mean difference -0.36, 95% CI -0.66 to -0.50, P=.03). The study protocol was feasible, but recruitment took longer than expected. Over 90% (29/31 [94%]) of participants reported they were satisfied with the program.

CONCLUSIONS

The Txt2Prevent study was feasible to implement; however, although exploratory, there were no differences between the 2 groups in adjusted analyses except for 1 self-efficacy domain. As the intervention appeared acceptable, there is potential in using SMS text messages in this context. The design of the intervention may need to be reconsidered to have more impact on outcome measures.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02336919; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02336919.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

RR2-10.2196/resprot.6968.

miR-22 Host Gene Enhances Nuclear Factor-kappa B Activation to Aggravate Hypoxia-induced Injury in AC16 Cardiomyocytes

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a severe life-threatening disease caused by acute and persistent ischemia and hypoxia and eventually leads to heart failure and sudden death. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play significant roles in the pathology, diagnosis, and development of various cardiovascular diseases, including MI. This study aimed to explore the effect and molecular mechanism of lncRNA miR-22 host gene (MIR22HG) on hypoxia-induced injury in AC16 cardiomyocytes. The expression of MIR22HG and miR-24 in hypoxia-treated AC16 cardiomyocytes was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase release, levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), and apoptosis were detected by Cell Counting Kit-8, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay, commercial enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay kits, and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. The protein levels of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65 and cytoplasmic inhibitor of kappa B alpha (IκBα) and phosphorylated IκBα were detected by western blot. Results showed that hypoxia treatment decreased viability and increased MIR22HG expression in AC16 cardiomyocytes. MIR22HG overexpression aggravated hypoxia-induced viability reduction, leakage of myocardial injury markers LDH, AST, and CK-MB, and apoptosis in AC16 cardiomyocytes, while MIR22HG knockdown elicited the reverse effects. MIR22HG overexpression enhanced NF-κB activation in hypoxia-treated AC16 cardiomyocytes. Inhibition of NF-κB pathway impaired the effects of MIR22HG overexpression on hypoxia-induced injury in AC16 cardiomyocytes. Moreover, MIR22HG knockdown inhibited the NF-κB pathway by upregulating miR-24 in AC16 cardiomyocytes. Inhibition of miR-24 resisted the effects of MIR22HG silencing on hypoxia-induced injury in AC16 cardiomyocytes. In conclusion, MIR22HG overexpression aggravated hypoxia-induced injury in AC16 cardiomyocytes via enhancing NF-κB activation by targeting miR-24.

Self-management of non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review

Background

The prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is rising in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Self-management, which enables patients to better manage their health, presents a potentially-scalable means of mitigating the growing burden of NCDs in LMICs. Though the effectiveness of self-management interventions in high-income countries is well-documented, the use of these strategies in LMICs has yet to be thoroughly summarized.

Objective

The purpose of this scoping review is to summarize the nature and effectiveness of past interventions that have enabled the self-management of NCDs in LMICs.

Methods

Using the scoping review methodology proposed by Arksey and O’Malley, PubMed was searched for relevant articles published between January 2007 and December 2018. The implemented search strategy comprised three major themes: self-management, NCDs and LMICs.

Results

Thirty-six original research articles were selected for inclusion. The selected studies largely focused on the self-management of diabetes (N = 21), hypertension (N = 7) and heart failure (N = 5). Most interventions involved the use of short message service (SMS, N = 17) or phone calls (N = 12), while others incorporated educational sessions (N = 10) or the deployment of medical devices (N = 4). The interventions were generally effective and often led to improvements in physiologic indicators, patient self-care and/or patient quality of life. However, the studies emphasized results in small populations, with little indication of future scaling of the intervention. Furthermore, the results indicate a need for further research into the self-management of cardiovascular diseases, as well as for the co-management of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Conclusions

Self-management appears to be an effective means of improving health outcomes in LMICs. Future strategies should include patients and clinicians in all stages of design and development, allowing for a focus on long-term sustainability, scalability and interoperability of the intervention in the target setting.

Evaluating the Effect of Monitoring through Telephone (Tele-Monitoring) on Self-Care Behaviors and Readmission of Patients with Heart Failure after Discharge

BACKGROUND

Heart failure is one of the serious cardiovascular diseases, which poses a global pandemic and places a heavy burden on health care systems worldwide. The incidence of this disease in Iran is higher than in other Asian countries. To reduce patients' complications, readmission rates, and health care expenditures, it is necessary to design interventions, which are culturally appropriate and based on community needs.

METHODS

In 2016, a randomized clinical trial (IRCT2017010731804N1) was initiated to compare tailored tele-monitoring intervention with usual care. In total, 80 patients completed the study after a follow-up period of 8 weeks. The primary end point was heart failure self-care, which was measured using the Iranian version of the European Heart Failure self-care questionnaire. Secondary end points were heart failure related readmission rates.

RESULTS

The mean scores for self-care behaviors of the two groups showed significant difference at the baseline (p = 0.045). The results of the analysis of covariance that was used to control the differences in the pretest scores of self-care behaviors showed that the difference between both groups after the intervention was still significant (p < 0.001). The percentage of patients' readmissions in the intervention group (20%) was less than that in the control group (42.2%); however, the results were not statistically significant (p = 0/066).

CONCLUSION

This study showed that tele-monitoring improved self-care behaviors in Iranian patients with heart failure but did not reduce their readmission rates.

Cardiac-diabetes self-management program for Australians and Taiwanese: A randomized blocked design study

Cardiac disease and type 2 diabetes are prevalent diseases globally. Cardiac rehabilitation and diabetes self-management programs empower patients' self-management to improve their health outcomes. However, inappropriate delivery modes and continuing low participation rates indicate some programs are less than optimal. A previous study demonstrated the feasibility of incorporating telephone and text messages into a cardiac-diabetes self-management program in Australia; however, the program did not specifically address patients' cultural backgrounds. This current study used a randomized blocked design to evaluate short-term efficacy of the cardiac-diabetes self-management program incorporating telephone and text-messaging across different cultural contexts in Australia and Taiwan in comparison to usual care. No significant differences between groups were observed for outcomes of self-care behavior, self efficacy, knowledge and health-related quality of life, with patients in both groups demonstrating improvements. Patient-reported outcomes indicated some evidence of an interaction effect between country of origin and group allocation. Findings indicated an improved tendency of outcome measures between the baseline and follow-up assessments within usual care and intervention groups. Further research is required to clarify components of the program work for each cultural group.

Mobile phone text messaging to improve medication adherence in secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease

BACKGROUND

Worldwide at least 100 million people are thought to have prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD). This population has a five times greater chance of suffering a recurrent cardiovascular event than people without known CVD. Secondary CVD prevention is defined as action aimed to reduce the probability of recurrence of such events. Drug interventions have been shown to be cost-effective in reducing this risk and are recommended in international guidelines. However, adherence to recommended treatments remains sub-optimal. In order to influence non-adherence, there is a need to develop scalable and cost-effective behaviour-change interventions.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effects of mobile phone text messaging in patients with established arterial occlusive events on adherence to treatment, fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events, and adverse effects.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, the Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Science on Web of Science on 7 November 2016, and two clinical trial registers on 12 November 2016. We contacted authors of included studies for missing information and searched reference lists of relevant papers. We applied no language or date restrictions.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised trials with at least 50% of the participants with established arterial occlusive events. We included trials investigating interventions using short message service (SMS) or multimedia messaging service (MMS) with the aim to improve adherence to medication for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular events. Eligible comparators were no intervention or other modes of communication.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. In addition, we attempted to contact all authors on how the SMS were developed.

MAIN RESULTS

We included seven trials (reported in 13 reports) with 1310 participants randomised. Follow-up ranged from one month to 12 months. Due to heterogeneity in the methods, population and outcome measures, we were unable to conduct meta-analysis on these studies. All seven studies reported on adherence, but using different methods and scales. Six out of seven trials showed a beneficial effect of mobile phone text messaging for medication adherence. Dale 2015a, reported significantly greater medication adherence score in the intervention group (Mean Difference (MD) 0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.19 to 0.97; 123 participants randomised) at six months. Khonsari 2015 reported less adherence in the control group (Relative Risk (RR) 4.09, 95% CI 1.82 to 9.18; 62 participants randomised) at eight weeks. Pandey 2014 (34 participants randomised) assessed medication adherence through self-reported logs with 90% adherence in the intervention group compared to 70% in the control group at 12 months. Park 2014a (90 participants randomised) reported a greater increase of the medication adherence score in the control group, but also measured adherence with an event monitoring system for a number of medications with adherence levels ranging from 84.1% adherence to 86.2% in the intervention group and 79.7% to 85.7% in the control group at 30 days. Quilici 2013, reported reduced odds of non-adherence in the intervention group (Odds Ratio (OR) 0.43, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.86, 521 participants randomised) at 30 days. Fang 2016, reported that participants given SMS alone had reduced odds of being non-adherent compared to telephone reminders (OR 0.40 95% CI 0.18 to 0.63; 280 patients randomised). Kamal 2015 reported higher levels of adherence in the intervention arm (adjusted MD 0.54, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.85; 200 participants randomised). Khonsari 2015 was the only study to report fatal cardiovascular events and only reported two events, both in the control arm. No study reported on the other primary outcomes. No study reported repetitive thumb injury or road traffic crashes or other adverse events that were related to the intervention.Four authors replied to our questionnaire on SMS development. No study reported examining causes of non-adherence or provided SMS tailored to individual patient characteristics.The included studies were small, heterogeneous and included participants recruited directly after acute events. All studies were assessed as having high risk of bias across at least one domain. Most of the studies came from high-income countries, with two studies conducted in an upper middle-income country (China, Malaysia), and one study from a lower middle-income country (Pakistan). The quality of the evidence was found to be very low. There was no obvious conflicts of interest from authors, although only two declared their funding.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

While the results of this systematic review are promising, there is insufficient evidence to draw conclusions on the effectiveness of text message-based interventions for adherence to medications for secondary prevention of CVD. Sufficiently powered, high-quality randomised trials are needed, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

mHealth Interventions to Counter Noncommunicable Diseases in Developing Countries: Still an Uncertain Promise

mHealth constitutes a promise for health care delivery in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where health care systems are unprepared to combat the threat of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). This article assesses the impact of mHealth on NCD outcomes in LMICs. A systematic review identified controlled studies evaluating mHealth interventions that addressed NCDs in LMICs. From the 1274 abstracts retrieved, 108 articles were selected for full text review and 20 randomized controlled trials were included from 14 LMICs. One-way SMS was the most commonly used mobile function to deliver reminders, health education, and information. mHealth interventions in LMICs have positive but modest effects on chronic disease outcomes.

The Effect of Interactive Text Message Follow-up on Health Promoting Lifestyle of Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

Background:

Lifestyle modification is an essential factor in the promotion of health in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). One of the interventions to promote lifestyle is interactive follow-up, which, according to the traditional methods, requires spending significant amount of time and cost. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effectiveness of interactive text message follow-up on health promoting lifestyle of patients with ACS.

Materials and Methods:

This was a randomized controlled trial among 100 patients suffering from ACS during October–February 2016. The participants were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. Collection of data on lifestyle was performed before, 3, and 4 months after the beginning of the intervention using Walker's Health Promoting lifestyle questionnaire. Six messages were sent to the intervention groups each week, and participants asked the questions by sending text message, each week 1 message were sent to the control group for 12 weeks. The statistical analysis of data was performed using independent t-test, Chi-square, Mann–Whitney U test, and repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Results:

Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the mean score of lifestyle of the two groups, however, 3 months and 4 months after the beginning of the intervention, the mean score of lifestyle in the intervention group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.001).

Conclusion:

The interactive text message follow-up is effective in promoting the lifestyle of patients with ACS and can be considered in the planning of follow-up of patients with ACS.

The effect of telenursing on self-efficacy in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a randomized controlled clinical trial

AIM

This study aimed to assess the effect of telenursing on nutritional behavior and physical activity self-efficacy in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

BACKGROUND

NAFLD is the most common liver disorder, which has a chronic course. Therefore, routine monitoring of these patients by medical staff helps them actively participate in the healing process and promote their self-efficacy.

METHODS

In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 60 patients were chosen through convenience sampling among patients with NAFLD. After obtaining written informed consents, the participants were randomly divided into an intervention and a control group (each containing 30 subjects). The participants received diet consultation individually and were taught how to perform physical activities. Telephone intervention was conducted in the intervention group for 12 weeks. The study questionnaires were completed by the participants before and after the intervention. The data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical software.

RESULTS

Based on the results, the mean score of nutritional behavior and physical activity self-efficacy increased in the study groups after the intervention. This increase was statistically significant only in the intervention group. Additionally, the two groups were significantly different regarding the mean scores of nutritional behavior and physical activity self-efficacy.

CONCLUSION

Telenursing could improve self-efficacy and physical activity in patients with NAFLD.