A Pilot Study to Evaluate a Computer-Based Intervention to Improve Self-care in Patients With Heart Failure.
Cynthia Arslanian-Engoren, Bruno Giordani, Kinnothan Nelson and 1 others
PMID 33369990WHAT IT FOUND
After a computer version failed, eight heart failure patients completed a nurse-led tablet self-care and cognitive training program.
They found it acceptable, and self-care scores improved, but no control group means benefit is unproven.
Key findings
01The original computer-based delivery was deemed not feasible or acceptable because patients lacked computers or stable internet.
02In Phase 2, 12 patients consented and 8 completed the intervention.
03Among the eight completers, self-care maintenance, management, and confidence scores improved.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The Phase 2 analysis included only eight participants, so the findings are fragile. The study was done at one hospital, so the results may not apply to other settings. The first version failed because many patients lacked computers or stable internet, and rural connectivity problems remained. The intervention combined cognitive assessment, heart failure self-care education, and computerized cognitive training, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. There was no control group, so changes in self-care scores cannot be attributed to the intervention.
Declared interests
The article is tagged as supported by NIH and non-US government research funding, and no author conflicts are reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this program improves heart failure self-care or prevents readmission. The study was a small pilot of eight completers, the intervention combined cognitive assessment, education, and training, and the self-care changes had no control group.