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ABSTRACT: Hypertension is a common chronic disease affecting nearly one-third of the United States population. Many interventions have been designed to help patients manage their hypertension. With the evolving climate of healthcare, rapidly developing technology, and emphasis on delivering patient-centered care, home-based blood pressure telemonitoring is a promising tool to help patients achieve optimal blood pressure (BP) control. Home-based blood pressure telemonitoring is associated with reductions in blood pressure values and increased patient satisfaction. However, additional research is needed to understand cost-effectiveness and long-term clinical outcomes of home-based BP monitoring. We review key interventional trials involving home based BP monitoring, with special emphasis placed on studies involving additionally behavioral modification and/or medication management. Furthermore, we discuss the role of home-based blood pressure telemonitoring within the context of the patient-centered medical home and the evolving role of technology.
Current Hypertension Reports 04/2013; · 2.50 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Obesity has spread to all segments of the U.S. population. Young adults, aged 18-35, are rarely represented in clinical weight loss trials. We conducted a qualitative study to identify factors that may facilitate recruitment of young adults into a weight loss intervention trial. Participants were 33 adults aged 18-35yrs with BMI≥25kg/m(2). Six group discussions were conducted using the nominal group technique. Health, social image, and "self"factors such as emotions, self-esteem, and confidence were reported as reasons to pursue weight loss. Physical activity, dietary intake, social support, medical intervention, and taking control (e.g. being motivated) were perceived as the best weight loss strategies. Incentives, positive outcomes, education, convenience, and social support were endorsed as reasons young adults would consider participating in a weight loss study. Incentives, advertisement, emphasizing benefits, and convenience were endorsed as ways to recruit young adults. These results informed the Cellphone Intervention for You (CITY) marketing and advertising, including message framing and advertising avenues. Implications for recruitment methods are discussed.
Contemporary clinical trials 04/2013; · 1.51 Impact Factor
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S Dee Melnyk,
Leah L Zullig,
Felicia McCant,
Susanne Danus,
Eugene Oddone,
Lori Bastian,
Maren Olsen,
Karen M Stechuchak,
David Edelman,
Susan Rakley,
Miriam Morey, Hayden B Bosworth
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ABSTRACT: Patients with co-occurrence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. Comprehensive programs addressing both tailored patient self-management and pharmacotherapy are needed to address barriers to optimal cardiovascular risk reduction. We are examining a Clinical pharmacy specialist-, telephone-administered intervention, relying on home monitoring, with a goal of providing tailored medication and behavioral intervention to Veterans with CVD risk.
Randomized controlled trial including patients with hypertension (blood pressure >150/100 mm Hg) or elevated low density liporotein (>130 mg/dL). Longitudinal changes in CVD risk profile and improvement in health behaviors over time will be examined.
Given the national prevalence of CVD and the dismal rates of risk factor control, intensive but easily disseminated interventions are required to treat this epidemic. This study will be an important step in testing the effectiveness of a behavioral and medication intervention to improve CVD control among Veterans.
American heart journal 04/2013; 165(4):501-8. · 4.65 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We explored whether the effects of a telephone-based osteoarthritis (OA) self-management support intervention differed by race and health literacy. Participants included 515 veterans with hip and/or knee OA. Linear mixed models assessed differential effects of the intervention compared with health education (HE) and usual care (UC) on pain (Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales-2 [AIMS2] and Visual Analogue Scale), function (AIMS2 mobility and walking/bending), affect (AIMS2) and arthritis self-efficacy by: (i) race (white/non-white), (ii) health literacy (high/low) and (iii) race by health literacy. AIMS2 mobility improved more among non-whites than whites in the intervention compared with HE and UC (P = 0.02 and 0.008). AIMS2 pain improved more among participants with low than high literacy in the intervention compared with HE (P = 0.05). However, we found a differential effect of the intervention on AIMS2 pain compared with UC according to the combination of race and health literacy (P = 0.05); non-whites with low literacy in the intervention had the greatest improvement in pain. This telephone-based OA intervention may be particularly beneficial for patients with OA who are racial/ethnic minorities and have low health literacy. These results warrant further research designed specifically to assess whether this type of intervention can reduce OA disparities.
Health Education Research 03/2013; · 1.66 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Background: Mobile phone short message service (SMS) text messaging, has the potential to serve as an intervention medium to promote sustainability of weight loss that can be easily and affordably used by clinicians and consumers.
JMIR MHEALTH AND UHEALTH. 01/2013; 1(1):e5.
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Kelli D Allen,
Dennis Bongiorni,
Tessa A Walker,
John Bartle, Hayden B Bosworth,
Cynthia J Coffman,
Santanu K Datta,
David Edelman,
Katherine S Hall,
Gloria Hansen,
Caroline Jennings,
Jennifer H Lindquist,
Eugene Z Oddone,
Margaret J Senick,
John C Sizemore,
Jamie St John,
Helen Hoenig
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ABSTRACT: Physical therapy (PT) is a key component of treatment for knee osteoarthritis (OA) and can decrease pain and improve function. Given the expected rise in prevalence of knee OA and the associated demand for treatment, there is a need for models of care that cost-effectively extend PT services for patients with this condition. This manuscript describes a randomized clinical trial of a group-based physical therapy program that can potentially extend services to more patients with knee OA, providing a greater number of sessions per patient, at lower staffing costs compared to traditional individual PT. Participants with symptomatic knee OA (n=376) are randomized to either a 12-week group-based PT program (six one hour sessions, eight patients per group, led by a physical therapist and physical therapist assistant) or usual PT care (two individual visits with a physical therapist). Participants in both PT arms receive instruction in an exercise program, information on joint care and protection, and individual consultations with a physical therapist to address specific functional and therapeutic needs. The primary outcome is the Western Ontario and McMasters Universities Osteoarthritis Index (self-reported pain, stiffness, and function), and the secondary outcome is the Short Physical Performance Test Protocol (objective physical function). Outcomes are assessed at baseline and 12-week follow-up, and the primary outcome is also assessed via telephone at 24-week follow-up to examine sustainability of effects. Linear mixed models will be used to compare outcomes for the two study arms. An economic cost analysis of the PT interventions will also be conducted.
Contemporary clinical trials 12/2012; · 1.51 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE: This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of a telephone-delivered, spouse-assisted lifestyle intervention to reduce patient LDL-C. METHOD: From 2007-2010, 255 outpatients with LDL-C>76mg/dL and their spouses from the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center were randomized to intervention or usual care. The intervention comprised nine monthly goal-setting telephone calls to patients and support planning calls to spouses. Outcomes were assessed at 11months. RESULTS: Patients were 95% male and 65% White. LDL-C did not differ between groups (mean difference=2.3mg/dL, 95% CI=-3.6, 8.3, p=0.44), nor did the odds of meeting goal LDL-C (OR=0.95, 95% CI=0.6, 1.7; p=0.87). Intakes of calories (p=0.03), total fat (p=0.02), and saturated fat (p=0.02) were lower for the intervention group. Cholesterol and fiber intake did not differ between groups (p=0.11 and 0.26, respectively). The estimated rate of moderate intensity physical activity per week was 20% higher in the intervention group (IRR=1.2, 95% CI=1.0, 1.5, p=0.06). Most participants did not experience a change in cholesterol medication usage during the study period in the intervention (71.7%) and usual care (78.9%) groups. CONCLUSION: This intervention might be an adjunct to usual primary care to improve adherence to lifestyle behaviors.
Preventive Medicine 11/2012; · 3.22 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Obesity and related chronic illnesses are leading causes of death and excessive health care costs, necessitating identification of factors that can help patients achieve and maintain healthy weight. Greater self-efficacy and perceived spousal support in patients have been associated with successful weight management. The current study also assesses self-efficacy and perceived support in spouses and whether these factors are related to patient weight. At baseline of a spousal support trial, patients and spouses (N = 255 couples) each completed measures of self-efficacy and spousal support for their own exercise and healthy eating behaviors. We fit a multivariable regression model to examine the relationship between these factors and patient weight. Patients were 95% males and 65% Whites, with average age of 61 years (SD = 12) and weight of 212 lbs (SD = 42). Spouses were 64% Whites, with average age of 59 years (SD = 12). Factors associated with lower patient weight were older patient age (estimate = -0.8 lbs, p < .01), normal blood pressure (estimate = -17.6 lbs, p < .01), higher patient self-efficacy for eating healthy (estimate = -3.8 lbs, p = .02), and spouse greater perceived support for eating healthy (estimate = -10.0 lbs, p = .03). Future research should explore the causal pathways between perceived support and health outcomes to establish whether patient support behaviors could be a point of intervention for weight management.
Psychology Health and Medicine 09/2012; · 1.18 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Clinicians have difficulty in identifying patients that are unlikely to adhere to hypertension self-management. Identifying non-adherence is essential to addressing suboptimal blood pressure control and high costs. OBJECTIVES: 1) To identify risk factors associated with non-adherence to three key self-management behaviors in patients with hypertension: proper medication use, diet, and exercise; 2) To evaluate the extent to which an instrument designed to identify the number of risk factors present for non-adherence to each of the three hypertension self-management behaviors would be associated with self-management non-adherence and blood pressure. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of randomized trial data. PATIENTS: Six hundred and thirty-six primary care patients with hypertension. MEASUREMENTS: 1) Demographic, socioeconomic, psychosocial, and health belief-related factors; 2) measures of self-reported adherence to recommended medication use, diet recommendations, and exercise recommendations, all collected at baseline assessment; 3) systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). RESULTS: We identified patient factors associated with measures of non-adherence to medications, diet, and exercise in hypertension. We then combined risk factors associated with ≥1 adherence measure into an instrument that generated three composite variables (medication, diet, and exercise composites), reflecting the number of risk factors present for non-adherence to the corresponding self-management behavior. These composite variables identified subgroups with higher likelihood of medication non-adherence, difficulty following diet recommendations, and difficulty following exercise recommendations. Composite variable levels representing the highest number of self-management non-adherence risk factors were associated with higher SBP and DBP. CONCLUSIONS: We identified factors associated with measures of non-adherence to recommended medication use, diet, and exercise in hypertension. We then developed an instrument that was associated with non-adherence to these self-management behaviors, as well as with blood pressure. With further study, this instrument has potential to improve identification of non-adherent patients with hypertension.
Journal of General Internal Medicine 08/2012; · 2.83 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: African Americans are significantly more likely than whites to have uncontrolled hypertension, contributing to significant disparities in cardiovascular disease and events. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to examine whether there were differences in change in blood pressure (BP) for African American and non-Hispanic white patients in response to a medication management and tailored nurse-delivered telephone behavioral program. PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred and seventy-three patients (284 African American and 289 non-Hispanic white) primary care patients who participated in the Hypertension Intervention Nurse Telemedicine Study (HINTS) clinical trial. INTERVENTIONS: Study arms included: 1) nurse-administered, physician-directed medication management intervention, utilizing a validated clinical decision support system; 2) nurse-administered, behavioral management intervention; 3) combined behavioral management and medication management intervention; and 4) usual care. All interventions were activated based on poorly controlled home BP values. MAIN MEASURES: Post-hoc analysis of change in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. General linear models (PROC MIXED in SAS, version 9.2) were used to estimate predicted means at 6-month, 12-month, and 18-month time points, by intervention arm and race subgroups (separate models for systolic and diastolic blood pressure). KEY RESULTS: Improvement in mean systolic blood pressure post-baseline was greater for African American patients in the combined intervention, compared to African American patients in usual care, at 12 months (6.6 mmHg; 95 % CI: -12.5, -0.7; p = 0.03) and at 18 months (9.7 mmHg; -16.0, -3.4; p = 0.003). At 18 months, mean diastolic BP was 4.8 mmHg lower (95 % CI: -8.5, -1.0; p = 0.01) among African American patients in the combined intervention arm, compared to African American patients in usual care. There were no analogous differences for non-Hispanic white patients. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of home BP monitoring, remote medication management, and telephone tailored behavioral self-management appears to be particularly effective for improving BP among African Americans. The effect was not seen among non-Hispanic white patients.
Journal of General Internal Medicine 08/2012; · 2.83 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Half of patients with hypertension have poor blood pressure (BP) control. Recent models for treating hypertension have integrated disease monitoring and telephone-based interventions delivered in patients' homes. This study evaluated the costs of the Hypertension Intervention Nurse Telemedicine Study (HINTS), aimed to improve BP control in veterans.
Eligible veterans were randomized to either usual care or 1 of 3 telephone-based intervention groups using home BP telemonitoring: (1) behavioral management, (2) medication management, or (3) combined. Intervention costs were derived from information collected during the trial. Direct medical costs (inpatient, outpatient, and outpatient pharmacy, including hypertension-specific pharmacy) at 18 months by group were calculated using Veterans Affairs (VA) Decision Support System data. Bootstrapped CIs were computed to compare intervention and medical costs between intervention groups and usual care.
Patients receiving behavior or medication management showed significant gains in BP control at 12 months; there were no differences in BP control at 18 months. In subgroup analysis, patients with poor baseline BP control receiving combined intervention significantly improved BP at 12 and 18 months. In overall and subgroup samples, average intervention costs were similar in the 3 study arms, and at 18 months, there were no statistically significant differences in direct VA medical costs or total VA costs between treatment arms and usual care.
To optimize investment in telephone-based home interventions such as the HINTS, it is important to identify groups of patients who are most likely to benefit from more intensive home BP management.
American heart journal 06/2012; 163(6):980-6. · 4.65 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to explore the theoretical linkages between symptom experiences and meaning associated with medication adherence. The specific objectives were to evaluate the key constructs of Meaning-Response theory for understanding medication adherence in patients with chronic heart failure; to assess the influence of symptom persistence on the meaning associated with prescribed medicines; and to explore the extent to which meaningful associations improve medication adherence. Among patients with heart failure, poor medication adherence occurs in over half of the population, resulting in high rates of symptom exacerbation, avoidable hospitalization, and death. Nurses play a key role in facilitating self-management skills, but patients' perceptions of the relationship between symptoms and medicines is not clear. METHODS: Using a prospective mixed methods design, the study assessed patients' (n=10) perception of chronic heart failure symptoms and medication adherence. Patients completed guided interviews related to six concepts of meaning ascribed to medication use and four standardized measures of medication-related beliefs, behaviours, symptoms, and satisfaction. RESULTS: This study suggests that patients' perception of meaning associated with medication taking was categorized as positive, negative, or absent. Symptom persistence influenced a majority of patient beliefs in the efficacy medicines, and patients with more positive meaningful associations with their medicines were more likely to remain adherent during the course of this study. CONCLUSIONS: Development of meaningful associations with medicines may improve long-term adherence with prescribed medication in heart failure.
European journal of cardiovascular nursing: journal of the Working Group on Cardiovascular Nursing of the European Society of Cardiology 05/2012;
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Kelli D Allen, Hayden B Bosworth,
Dorothea S Brock,
Jennifer G Chapman,
Ranee Chatterjee,
Cynthia J Coffman,
Santanu K Datta,
Rowena J Dolor,
Amy S Jeffreys,
Karen A Juntilla,
Jennifer Kruszewski,
Laurie E Marbrey,
Jennifer McDuffie,
Eugene Z Oddone,
Nina Sperber,
Mary P Sochacki,
Catherine Stanwyck,
Jennifer L Strauss,
William S Yancy
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ABSTRACT: Osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip and knee are among the most common chronic conditions, resulting in substantial pain and functional limitations. Adequate management of OA requires a combination of medical and behavioral strategies. However, some recommended therapies are under-utilized in clinical settings, and the majority of patients with hip and knee OA are overweight and physically inactive. Consequently, interventions at the provider-level and patient-level both have potential for improving outcomes. This manuscript describes two ongoing randomized clinical trials being conducted in two different health care systems, examining patient-based and provider-based interventions for managing hip and knee OA in primary care. METHODS / DESIGN: One study is being conducted within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system and will compare a Combined Patient and Provider intervention relative to usual care among n = 300 patients (10 from each of 30 primary care providers). Another study is being conducted within the Duke Primary Care Research Consortium and will compare Patient Only, Provider Only, and Combined (Patient + Provider) interventions relative to usual care among n = 560 patients across 10 clinics. Participants in these studies have clinical and / or radiographic evidence of hip or knee osteoarthritis, are overweight, and do not meet current physical activity guidelines. The 12-month, telephone-based patient intervention focuses on physical activity, weight management, and cognitive behavioral pain management. The provider intervention involves provision of patient-specific recommendations for care (e.g., referral to physical therapy, knee brace, joint injection), based on evidence-based guidelines. Outcomes are collected at baseline, 6-months, and 12-months. The primary outcome is the Western Ontario and McMasters Universities Osteoarthritis Index (self-reported pain, stiffness, and function), and secondary outcomes are the Short Physical Performance Test Protocol (objective physical function) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (depressive symptoms). Cost effectiveness of the interventions will also be assessed.
Results of these two studies will further our understanding of the most effective strategies for improving hip and knee OA outcomes in primary care settings.
NCT01130740 (VA); NCT 01435109 (NIH).
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 04/2012; 13:60. · 1.58 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Self-management support interventions can help improve osteoarthritis outcomes but are underused. Little is known about how participants evaluate the helpfulness of these programs. We describe participants' evaluations of a telephone-based, osteoarthritis self-management support intervention that yielded improved outcomes in a clinical trial.
Participants were 140 people in the intervention arm of the trial who completed an end-of-trial survey. We used mixed methods to describe participants' perceived helpfulness of the program and its components. We compared ratings of helpfulness according to participant characteristics and analyzed themes from open-ended responses with a constant comparison approach. We calculated Pearson correlation coefficients between perceived helpfulness and changes in pain, function, affect, and self-efficacy.
The average rating of overall helpfulness on a scale from 1 to 10 was 7.6 (standard deviation, 2.3), and more than 80% of participants agreed that each component (phone calls, educational material, setting goals and action plans) was helpful. Participants had better perceived helpfulness ratings than their counterparts if they were nonwhite, had limited health literacy, had no college education, had perceived inadequate income, were older, had a spouse or were living together in a committed relationship, and had greater symptom duration and less pain. Ratings of helpfulness increased with greater improvement in outcomes. Participants frequently mentioned the health educator's calls as being helpful for staying on task with self-management behaviors.
Participants viewed this intervention and each of its components as helpful for improving osteoarthritis symptoms. In addition to the improvements in objective outcomes seen in the clinical trial, these results provide further support for the dissemination of self-management support interventions.
Preventing chronic disease 03/2012; 9:E73. · 1.82 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: To pilot test a culturally adapted behavioral weight loss intervention in obese and overweight Latino adults.
Pilot study.
Latino community organization in Durham, North Carolina.
Overweight and obese, self-identified Latinos > or =18 years old.
Intervention consisted of 20 weekly group sessions (90-120 minutes each) incorporating motivational interviewing techniques. The intervention goal was weight loss by adopting the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) dietary pattern, increasing physical activity, and reducing caloric intake. The cultural adaptation included foods and physical activities commonly used in the Latino culture, using a Spanish-speaking interventionist, and conducting the intervention at a local Latino community organization.
Weight, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, dietary pattern, and physical activity were measured at baseline and at 20 weeks.
A total of 56 participants are included in the final analysis. The average weight loss was 5.1 lbs (95% CI -8.7 to -1.5; P = .006); and there was a reduction in BMI of 1.3 kg/m2 (95% CI -2.2 to -0.5; P =.002) at 20 weeks. Systolic blood pressure decreased by 2.6 mm Hg (95% CI -4.7 to -0.6; P = .013).
A culturally adapted behavioral intervention for the treatment of overweight and obesity is potentially effective in a diverse group of Latino adults.
Ethnicity & disease 01/2012; 22(1):51-7. · 0.90 Impact Factor
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Hayden B Bosworth,
Bradi B Granger,
Phil Mendys,
Ralph Brindis,
Rebecca Burkholder,
Susan M Czajkowski,
Jodi G Daniel,
Inger Ekman,
Michael Ho,
Mimi Johnson,
Stephen E Kimmel,
Larry Z Liu,
John Musaus,
William H Shrank,
Elizabeth Whalley Buono,
Karen Weiss,
Christopher B Granger
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ABSTRACT: Poor adherence to efficacious cardiovascular-related medications has led to considerable morbidity, mortality, and avoidable health care costs. This article provides results of a recent think-tank meeting in which various stakeholder groups representing key experts from consumers, community health providers, the academic community, decision-making government officials (Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, etc), and industry scientists met to evaluate the current status of medication adherence and provide recommendations for improving outcomes. Below, we review the magnitude of the problem of medication adherence, prevalence, impact, and cost. We then summarize proven effective approaches and conclude with a discussion of recommendations to address this growing and significant public health issue of medication nonadherence.
American heart journal 09/2011; 162(3):412-24. · 4.65 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Clinical inertia represents a barrier to hypertension management. As part of a hypertension telemanagement trial designed to overcome clinical inertia, we evaluated study physician reactions to elevated home blood pressures. We studied 296 patients from the Hypertension Intervention Nurse Telemedicine Study who received telemonitoring and study physician medication management. When a patient's 2-week mean home blood pressure was elevated, an "intervention alert" prompted study physicians to consider treatment intensification. We examined treatment intensification rates and subsequent blood pressure control. Patients generated 1216 intervention alerts during the 18-month intervention. Of 922 eligible intervention alerts, study physicians intensified treatment in 374 (40.6%). Study physician perception that home blood pressure was acceptable was the most common rationale for nonintensification (53.7%). When "blood pressure acceptable" was the reason for not intensifying treatment, the mean blood pressure was lower than for intervention alerts where treatment intensification occurred (135.3/76.7 versus 143.2/80.6 mm Hg; P<0.0001). Blood pressure acceptable intervention alerts were associated with the lowest incidence of repeat alerts (hazard ratio: 0.69 [95% CI: 0.58 to 0.83]), meaning that the patient home blood pressure was less likely to subsequently rise above goal, despite apparent clinical inertia. This telemedicine intervention targeting clinical inertia did not guarantee treatment intensification in response to elevated home blood pressures. However, when physicians did not intensify treatment, it was because blood pressure was closer to an acceptable threshold, and repeat blood pressure elevations occurred less frequently. Failure to intensify treatment when home blood pressure is elevated may, at times, represent good clinical judgment, not clinical inertia.
Hypertension 08/2011; 58(4):552-8. · 6.21 Impact Factor
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Hayden B Bosworth,
Benjamin J Powers,
Maren K Olsen,
Felicia McCant,
Janet Grubber,
Valerie Smith,
Pamela W Gentry,
Cynthia Rose,
Courtney Van Houtven,
Virginia Wang,
Mary K Goldstein,
Eugene Z Oddone
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ABSTRACT: To determine which of 3 interventions was most effective in improving blood pressure (BP) control, we performed a 4-arm randomized trial with 18-month follow-up at the primary care clinics at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Eligible patients were randomized to either usual care or 1 of 3 telephone-based intervention groups: (1) nurse-administered behavioral management, (2) nurse- and physician-administered medication management, or (3) a combination of both. Of the 1551 eligible patients, 593 individuals were randomized; 48% were African American. The intervention telephone calls were triggered based on home BP values transmitted via telemonitoring devices. Behavioral management involved promotion of health behaviors. Medication management involved adjustment of medications by a study physician and nurse based on hypertension treatment guidelines.
The primary outcome was change in BP control measured at 6-month intervals over 18 months. Both the behavioral management and medication management alone showed significant improvements at 12 months-12.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6%-24.1%) and 12.5% (95% CI, 1.3%-23.6%), respectively-but not at 18 months. In subgroup analyses, among those with poor baseline BP control, systolic BP decreased in the combined intervention group by 14.8 mm Hg (95% CI, -21.8 to -7.8 mm Hg) at 12 months and 8.0 mm Hg (95% CI, -15.5 to -0.5 mm Hg) at 18 months, relative to usual care.
Overall intervention effects were moderate, but among individuals with poor BP control at baseline, the effects were larger. This study indicates the importance of identifying individuals most likely to benefit from potentially resource intensive programs.
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00237692.
Archives of internal medicine 07/2011; 171(13):1173-80. · 11.46 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Adherence to proven, effective medications remains low, resulting in high rates of clinical complications, hospital readmissions, and death. The use of technology to identify patients at risk and to target interventions for poor adherence has increased. This review focuses on research that tests these emerging technologies and evaluates the effect of technology-based adherence interventions on cardiovascular outcomes.
Recent studies have evaluated technology-based interventions to improve medication adherence by using pharmaceutical databases, tailoring educational information to individual patient needs, delivering technology-driven reminders to patients and providers, and integrating in-person interventions with electronic alerts. Cellular phone reminders and in-home electronic technology used to communicate reminder messages have shown mixed results. Only one study has shown improvement in both adherence and clinical outcome. Current trials suggest that increasing automated reminders will complement but not replace the benefits seen with in-person communication for medication taking.
Integration of in-person contacts with technology-driven medication adherence reminders, electronic medication reconciliation, and pharmaceutical databases may improve medication adherence and have a positive effect on cardiovascular clinical outcomes. Opportunities for providers to monitor the quality of care based on new adherence research are evolving and may be useful as standards for quality improvement emerge.
Current opinion in cardiology 07/2011; 26(4):279-87. · 2.66 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Capitalizing on spousal support may enhance the effectiveness of interventions for chronic disease management. However, couples-based interventions present logistical challenges. We describe our experience and lessons learned while recruiting couples into the Couples Partnering for Lipid-Enhancing Strategies (CouPLES) trial.
This trial seeks to reduce serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels using a couples-based intervention designed to help patients engage in self-management behaviors. We proposed enrolling 250 couples over 13 months.
Due to practical challenges that we encountered, recruitment and enrollment lasted 21 months. Those challenges included: travel to study site; effectively marketing the study; participant burden; and establishing eligibility criteria. By modifying our protocol to address these challenges, the recruitment rate increased from 12 to 33%.
In the absence of trials identifying the most effective recruitment strategies, investigators may need to experiment, amending their protocol intermittently until target enrollment numbers are reached. The lessons we present may help researchers conducting couples-based interventions develop more effective protocols.
To achieve target enrollment numbers, researchers conducting couples-based interventions should consider minimizing travel to the study site; carefully crafting recruitment materials; budgeting more for participant incentives and staff effort; and limiting exclusion criteria. These practices may also enhance retention.
Patient Education and Counseling 07/2011; 84(1):33-40. · 2.31 Impact Factor
