1. Home-Based Education and Learning Program for Atrial Fibrillation: Rationale and Design of the HELP-AF Study
- Author
-
Karin Nyfort-Hansen, Prashanthan Sanders, Celine Gallagher, Dennis H. Lau, Shalini Simmons, Jeroen M.L. Hendriks, Anthony G. Brooks, Debra Rowett, John R. Moss, Gijo Thomas, Melissa E. Middeldorp, Tina Jones, Hendriks, Jeroen M, Brooks, Anthony G, Rowett, Debra, Moss, John R, Gallagher, Celine, Nyfort-Hansen, K, Simmons, Shalini, Middeldorp, Melissa E, Jones, Tina, Thomas, Gijo, Lau, Dennis H, and Sanders, Prashanthan
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,clinical care ,Pharmacist ,Home Care Services, Hospital-Based ,030204 cardiovascular system & hematology ,survival ,law.invention ,03 medical and health sciences ,Patient Admission ,0302 clinical medicine ,Patient Education as Topic ,Randomized controlled trial ,Quality of life ,law ,Atrial Fibrillation ,Health care ,Clinical endpoint ,medicine ,Humans ,Multicenter Studies as Topic ,Prospective Studies ,030212 general & internal medicine ,hospitalizations ,Prospective cohort study ,intervention ,Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ,congestive-heart-failure ,readmission ,business.industry ,management program ,health ,Atrial fibrillation ,medicine.disease ,Emergency medicine ,Quality of Life ,epidemiology ,Emergency Service, Hospital ,Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine ,business ,multidisciplinary ,Atrial flutter - Abstract
Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a growing global epidemic, with its prevalence expected to significantly rise over coming decades. AF poses a substantial burden on health care systems, largely due to hospitalizations. Home-based clinical characterization has demonstrated improved outcomes in cardiac populations, but its impact on AF remains poorly defined. To test this hypothesis in AF, we developed the Home-Based Education and Learning Program for Patients With Atrial Fibrillation (HELP-AF) study. Methods: The HELP-AF study is a prospective multicentre randomized controlled trial that will recruit 620 patients presenting to hospital emergency departments (EDs) with symptomatic AF (ANZCTR Registration: ACTRN12611000607976). Patients will be randomized to either the HELP-AF intervention or usual care. The intervention consists of 2 home visits by a nurse or pharmacist trained in the structured educational visiting (SEV) method. Patients in the control group will receive usual discharge follow-up care. Results: The primary endpoints are total unplanned hospital admissions and quality of life. Secondary endpoints include AF symptom severity and burden score; time to first hospital admission; total unplanned days in hospital; total AF-related hospital admissions (including atrial flutter); total cardiac and noncardiac hospital admissions; total AF- or atrial flutter-related; cardiac- and noncardiac-related ED presentations; and all-cause mortality. An economic evaluation will also be performed. Clinical endpoints will be adjudicated by independent blinded assessors. Follow-up will be at 24 months. Conclusions: This study will assess the efficacy of a home-based structured patient-centred educational intervention in patients with AF. Refereed/Peer-reviewed
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF