ODYSSEE-vCHAT Pilot Trial: a Virtual Community Promoting Health Literacy, Self-Care, and Peer Support for Heart Failure

Detailed Summary

INTRODUCTION Psychological distress and reduced quality of life are prevalent within the heart failure (HF) population. The 1-year rehospitalization (40%) and 5-year mortality (45% for women and 60% for men) rates are high. International task force committees report that medical therapy combined with counselling for HF self-care optimizes clinical outcomes. HYPOTHESES At trial completion (median = 8.5 months, range = 2 to 15 months), ODYSSEE-vCHAT versus enhanced usual care (eUC) is predicted to reduce morbidity and mortality rates. Greater engagement with the digital program is also predicted to be linked with improved self-reported mental and physical health at months 4, 8, and 12 and trial completion. RECRUITMENT HF patients who are at least 18 years old were recruited from the University Health Network (UHN), Sunnybrook Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital, and the community. Accrual of the sample (N = 61) occurred over 13 months. DESIGN ODYSSEE-vCHAT is a double-arm, parallel-group, randomized, controlled (real-world) pilot trial with assessments at baseline, months 4, 8, and 12, and trial completion (median = 8.5 months, range = 2 to 15 months). It is a single-blind trial, with research personnel blinded (excluding the research coordinator). All patients were provided with free access to their respective digital intervention, ODYSSEE-vCHAT or eUC. Subjects were invited by weekly emails to participate in the resources available to their group. eUC patients were provided with access to educational materials for HF self-care that are available to the public on professional heart health websites. Participation in supplementary programs that provide HF self-care education was not restricted, rather it was monitored by self-report during assessments and will be statistically controlled for during outcome assessments. ANALYSIS Separate generalized linear models (GLMs) will evaluate ODYSSEE-vCHAT versus eUC for primary and secondary outcomes. GLMs will be adjusted for baseline assessments and potential covariates. Interactions between treatment arm and gender will be examined for each outcome, using Bonferroni post-hoc comparisons for relevant subgroups. Significance in all tests will be p \< 0.05, 2-sided.

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