App Versus Logbook for Weight Monitoring and Help-Seeking Behavior in Heart Failure: A Single-Group Quasi-Experimental Study: A Single-Group Quasi-Experimental Study.
Norma Caples, Frances O'Brien, Mary Mooney
PMID 41745632WHAT IT FOUND
Heart failure patients using a weight app recorded weight for a median of 346.5 days versus 315 days with a logbook, and sought help sooner after weight gain.
App use fell to 30.1% late, and length of stay did not change.
Key findings
01During the app phase, weight recording was higher: median days recorded were 346.5 with the app and 315 with the logbook, while app engagement fell to 30.1% in the final interval.
02After significant weight gain, medical consultation occurred in 73.5% of app-phase episodes versus 43.4% of logbook-phase episodes, and same-day consultation occurred in 86.1% versus 28.6%.
03Hospitalization was lower during the app phase: 10 participants versus 24, and 16 heart failure-related admissions versus 39, but median length of stay was 7 days versus 5 days and was not statistically significant.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a single-group pre-post study with no randomization and no concurrent control group. Phase 1 logbook data were collected retrospectively, while phase 2 app data were collected prospectively, so measurement completeness may differ between phases. Only participants with complete data for both phases were analysed, and 48 participants did not complete follow-up. 208 of 392 screened patients were excluded for lack of smartphone access, and 53% of screened patients did not own a smartphone, so results apply mainly to patients who can use a smartphone. App engagement fell to 30.1% in the final interval, so early high use did not persist over 12 months. Hospitalization was not associated with app-use frequency, and length of stay did not differ significantly. Other factors, including time, familiarity with heart failure, nurse continuity, and service access patterns, may have influenced help-seeking and hospitalization. Analyses were exploratory, and no prespecified causal pathways were tested.
Declared interests
Pfizer, Vifor-Pharma, and AstraZeneca funded the study. The paper says the funders had no role in design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or manuscript preparation, and the authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude the app caused fewer hospitalizations. This was a single-group pre-post study with no concurrent control group, hospitalization was not associated with app-use frequency, and other factors such as time, familiarity with heart failure, nurse continuity, and service access may have contributed.