Integrated Disease Management of Heart Failure in Primary Care; A Cluster Randomized Trial
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrollment
- 225
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Composite of all cause mortality, hospital admissions and emergency department visits
Study Overview
Brief Summary
The study population includes primary care physicians and heart failure (HF) patients attending one of over 100 family physicians in seven family health teams in Southwestern Ontario. Study purpose is to measure the effect of an integrated disease management (IDM) program for people diagnosed with HF and receiving treatment at a primary care facility. Components of IDM include HF specific patient education and self care management skills training by a heart failure educator. Study outcomes include health service use, HF symptoms, quality of life, and HF knowledge assessment compared to the usual care group.
The primary objective of this study is composite and will measure the effect of integrated disease management (IDM) on all cause hospitalizations, ED visits and mortality events. Secondary outcomes will include HF related hospitalizations, HF related ED visits, quality of life, mortality, other health service utilization, acute HF episodes, NYHA class. We hypothesize HF specific IDM implemented in primary care will be superior to usual physician-based care measured by a combined reduction in the total number of all cause hospitalizations and ED visit events.
Detailed Description
The study population will be identified through patients attending one of 100 family physicians from 10 different family health teams (FHTs) or family health organizations (FHOs) in the Southwestern Ontario.
Study Design: A parallel cluster randomized trial design has been chosen comparing the intervention arm (patients entered on the IDM) to the control arm (patients receiving usual care). A multi-level study design is proposed, level 3 the FHT/FHO, level 2 the physician and level 1 the HF patient. We have chosen to randomize at level 2, the physician and implement the intervention at both level 2 and 1, the physician and the individual. Outcomes will be measured at individual level. Stratified randomization of physicians will be performed by FHT/FHO, giving greater balance between arms and increased power and precision by reduction of between cluster variability.
Recruitment: Physicians from the FHTs/FHOs will be invited to participate and informed consent will be obtained. The physician will be randomized to either the control or intervention group and randomization will be computer generated by FHT/FHO strata. Allocation for overall study will be 1:1 as will allocation by FHT/FHO. Each participating primary care site will identify all individuals with a HF diagnosis in their care suitable for the trial and a simple random sample will be taken from this group to obtain the desired cluster size. An initial telephone call will be arranged with the patient to discuss study details, obtain informed consent, further determine eligibility, and complete questionnaires.
Data management: As a part of the objectives of this study a POSS electronic tool has been developed, all data collected about the participants will be entered by heart failure educators and stored in a central server. Access is restricted to authorized personnel only. The POSS has been designed not only as a secure storage depot but also as a tool to standardize the data collected minimizing information bias. There is extensive data checking at the time of data entry. Data definitions are incorporated to support quality data inputs.
Sample Size: With a minimum recruitment of 50 physicians recruited and 4 participants per physician, this study would be powered to detect a minimum 36% reduction in the rate of number of hospitalizations or ED visits per person year with an attrition rate of 20%. This calculation is based on 80% power to 5% significance with an ICC of 0.05.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- Single (Investigator)
Masking Description
A blinded research assistant will collect questionnaire data and perform NYHA assessment.
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- •New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification of stage II, III or IV
- •a clinical diagnosis of HF and a supporting diagnostic echocardiogram
- •HF or cardiovascular related hospitalization and/or ED visit in the 24 months prior to recruitment
- •Patients with HF with a preserved ejection fraction and HF with a reduced ejection fraction (<45%) will be included.
Exclusion Criteria
- •hemodynamic instability
- •awaiting cardiac surgery
- •expected survival rate of <1 year due to terminal illness
- •lack of English language skills
- •reduced cognitive function that affects the ability to complete the questionnaires
- •enrolment in other cardiac trials
- •formalized HF education (e.g. Telehomecare) in the six months prior to enrolment
- •scheduled for cardiac rehabilitation
- •severely impaired renal function requiring dialysis.
Arms & Interventions
Integrated Disease Management
Physicians randomized to intervention will attend a training session on the program standards and details of the IDM. Following the initial baseline interview a heart failure educator (HFE) will meet with subjects to obtain a detailed history of their HF, provide education, self-care management strategies (medication adherence, symptoms monitoring, dietary adherence, fluid restriction, exercise, weight management, smoking cessation) and review immunization status. A self-management action plan will be developed with the study physician and HFE to enable monitoring and management of HF by the participant.
Intervention: Integrated Disease Management (Other)
Usual Care
Subjects will receive HF care as usually provided by their physician as advised or as needed. Study commitments for the control group include the initial interview, the expected time allotment for this initial visit is 1 hour. Telephone follow-up will occur at 3 months and 9 months to collect exacerbation data and maintain contact with participant. At 6 months and 12 months telephone follow-up will be conducted by the research assistant and the questionnaires will be completed.
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Composite of all cause mortality, hospital admissions and emergency department visits
Time Frame: 1 year
The primary outcome will be a composite of the total number of all-cause mortality, hospital admissions, and ED visits events. This measure will be the rate of events per person year at risk. The ED visits will be visits that do not lead to hospitalization.
Secondary Outcomes
- The Mediterranean Diet Questionnaire(1 year)
- Quality of Life using KCCQ(6 months and 1 year)
- Mortality(1 year (rate number of events per person year of follow-up))
- Health Status using EQ-5D(6 months and 1 year)
- Health Status using SF-12(6 months and 1 year)
- Health Service Use - Hospitalization(1 year (rate number of events per person year of follow-up))
- Health Service Use - Emergency Department visit(1 year (rate number of events per person year of follow-up))
- Atlanta Heart Failure Knowledge Questionnaire(1 year)
- NYHA(1 year)
- Health Service Use -unscheduled physician visits(1 year (rate number of events per person year of follow-up))
- Health Service Use -urgent care facility visits(1 year (rate number of events per person year of follow-up))
- Acute Heart Failure Episodes(1 year (rate number of events per person year of follow-up))