A heart failure self-management program for patients of all literacy levels: A randomized, controlled trial [ISRCTN11535170]

BACKGROUND: Self-management programs for patients with heart failure can reduce hospitalizations and mortality. However, no programs have analyzed their usefulness for patients with low literacy. We compared the efficacy of a heart failure self-management program designed for patients with low literacy versus usual care. METHODS: We performed a 12-month randomized controlled trial. From November 2001 to April 2003, we enrolled participants aged 30–80, who had heart failure and took furosemide. Intervention patients received education on self-care emphasizing daily weight measurement, diuretic dose self-adjustment, and symptom recognition and response. Picture-based educational materials, a digital scale, and scheduled telephone follow-up were provided to reinforce adherence. Control patients received a generic heart failure brochure and usual care. Primary outcomes were combined hospitalization or death, and heart failure-related quality of life. RESULTS: 123 patients (64 control, 59 intervention) participated; 41% had inadequate literacy. Patients in the intervention group had a lower rate of hospitalization or death (crude incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.69; CI 0.4, 1.2; adjusted IRR = 0.53; CI 0.32, 0.89). This difference was larger for patients with low literacy (IRR = 0.39; CI 0.16, 0.91) than for higher literacy (IRR = 0.56; CI 0.3, 1.04), but the interaction was not statistically significant. At 12 months, more patients in the intervention group reported monitoring weights daily (79% vs. 29%, p < 0.0001). After adjusting for baseline demographic and treatment differences, we found no difference in heart failure-related quality of life at 12 months (difference = -2; CI -5, +9). CONCLUSION: A primary care-based heart failure self-management program designed for patients with low literacy reduces the risk of hospitalizations or death

Bridging the gap between the home and the lab : a qualitative study of acceptance of an avatar feedback system

The current study provides a first step in the design and development of a persuasive agent in the natural context of the household. We developed two persuasive probe studies: one paper-based probe and one email-based probe on the use, experience, and effectiveness of persuasive agents. Participants had used these prototypes for a week, after which their experiences were explored in depth interviews and a focus group. Results indicated that a persuasive agent in the household is experienced as fairly pleasant, but important issues need to be solved before it can effectively influence behavior

Peepdeck : a dashboard for the distributed design studio

Designers adopt a large amount of general-purpose tools for supporting their remote collaborative tasks. Each tool provides very diverse functionalities: from file sharing to instant communication and video collaboration. The designer struggles when filtering and combining the right information spread across the multitude of tools. This research extends McGrath's framework of task circumflex to map the collaborative demands of the design practitioner and proposes Peepdeck, a design exploration to support them. Peepdeck is a dashboard that assembles information scattered across multiple tools in a personalized and organized way. Through two design iterations followed by evaluations of the user interface, several requirements were identified for supporting collaboration awareness in design teams. Insights confirmed the relevance of combining information from different but already familiar tools, rather than attempting to replace them. It was identified the importance of optimizing for visual scanning, supporting search of content and allowing users to customize the tool

Bridging the gap between the home and the lab : a qualitative study of acceptance of an avatar feedback system

The current study provides a first step in the design and development of a persuasive agent in the natural context of the household. We developed two persuasive probe studies: one paper-based probe and one email-based probe on the use, experience, and effectiveness of persuasive agents. Participants had used these prototypes for a week, after which their experiences were explored in depth interviews and a focus group. Results indicated that a persuasive agent in the household is experienced as fairly pleasant, but important issues need to be solved before it can effectively influence behavior

Factors influenced on occupancy of nest boxes by waterfowl

In total, 240 nest boxes for water birds were assessed during 2006 − 2010 at six localities in South Bohemia region (Czech Republic). Occupancy and nest effect rate of the boxes was monitored. Subsequently there was analysed relation between the box occupancy and potential factors affecting this quantity