Virtual Visits in Heart Failure Care Transitions

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Heart Failure
• Interventions: Behavioral: Virtual Visit

• Registration Number: NCT03675828
• Lead Sponsor: The Cleveland Clinic

Brief Summary

This study evaluates the use of virtual visits in the post-discharge care of patients with heart failure. Participants admitted to the hospital with a primary diagnosis of heart failure will be randomized at discharge to either a virtual visit or outpatient visit for their 7-day post discharge follow up visit.

Detailed Description

Published guidelines recommend that patients being discharged home after hospitalization for HF should be offered a 7-day post-discharge outpatient clinic visit as a way to increase engagement with care and reduce risk of poor outcomes. Unfortunately no-show rates for the 7-day post-discharge outpatient visit in this population are high, suggesting poor engagement. The investigators have previously observed a 76% no-show rate at the Cleveland Clinic Main Campus. This study is to evaluate whether use of 7-day post-discharge virtual visit versus in-person visit can improve adherence with post-discharge appointment.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2018-08-07
• Study First Submitted: 2018-08-27
• Study First Submitted QC: 2018-09-14
• Study First Posted: 2018-09-18
• Primary Completion: 2019-08-28
• Study Completion: 2019-08-28
• Status Verified: 2019-09
• Last Update Submitted: 2019-09-23
• Last Update Posted: 2019-09-25

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 116

Inclusion Criteria

1. Hospitalized for primary diagnosis of HF;
2. Anticipated to be discharged home;
3. Agreeable to longitudinal post-discharge care at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus in the first few weeks after hospital discharge;
4. Patient or an individual in their social support network has the ability (equipment and connectivity) to do a virtual visit after hospital discharge;

Exclusion Criteria

1. Being transferred to another hospital, or being discharged to an inpatient facility or nursing home;
2. Being discharged to hospice;
3. Subject currently enrolled in an interventional research study that requires an in-person clinical visit within 7 days post-discharge.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Virtual Visit	Virtual Visit	In this arm, the 7-day post discharge visit will be completed by a scheduled virtual visit with a member of the study team using the Cleveland Clinic Online Express Care application on a computer or a tablet/phone.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Proportion of completed post discharge visits via virtual visit or in outpatient setting	12 months	Proportion of patients who complete 7-day post discharge appointment (virtually or in-person)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
45-day unplanned readmission and death measures stratified by visit method (virtually or in-person)	12 months	Composite and individual components of unscheduled all-cause first occurrence of (a.) hospital readmission, (b.) emergency department visit, or (c.) death, in the first 45 days after hospital discharge.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Cleveland Clinic; 🇺🇸 Cleveland, Ohio, United States