Heart up! RCT protocol to increase physical activity in cardiac patients who report hopelessness: Amended for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Susan L Dunn, Lorraine B Robbins, Nathan L Tintle and 6 others
PMID 33428224WHAT IT FOUND
This paper describes a trial protocol, not results.
It outlines a plan to test if nurse-led motivational interviewing and text messages increase physical activity in heart disease patients who feel hopeless. No patient outcomes are reported.
Key findings
01The paper is a protocol describing the design of a randomized controlled trial, not a report of its results.
02The intervention involves nurse-led motivational interviewing and daily text messages, with an option for significant other support.
03At the time of publication, 69 patients had been enrolled, but no effectiveness data were available.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a protocol paper, so it contains no data on whether the intervention works. The study was significantly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to mid-trial changes in delivery method (in-person to remote). Recruitment was slow, with only 69 of the 225 planned participants enrolled at the time of publication. The paper reports on the process of running the trial, not on patient health outcomes.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the description of the intervention as evidence that it increases physical activity or reduces hopelessness. This paper only describes the plan to test these hypotheses; the results have not yet been published.