e-Health in Cardiovascular Medicine

Note: In lieu of an abstract, this is an excerpt from the first page.Cardiovascular disease (CVD), including coronary artery disease (CHD) and stroke, is the leading cause of death and disease burden globally [...

Is there an app for that? Mobile phones and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Purpose of review: Advances in technology coupled with increased penetration of mobile phones and smart devices are rapidly changing healthcare delivery. Mobile phone applications (‘apps’), text messages, and Internet platforms used alone or in combination are now providing interventions targeting people with multiple cardiovascular risk factors. The present article will review the emerging evidence regarding apps and discuss their potential role in providing secondary prevention interventions via mobile phones. Recent findings: Seven recent randomized controlled trials used text messages or apps for six to 12 months, with or without differing combinations of other technology platforms. All studies, involved cardiac and diabetes populations, and demonstrated at least one positive improvement to cardiovascular risk factor profiles. When measured, acceptability of the intervention was high. Summary: Mobile apps and technology can deliver positive outcomes in the management of cardiovascular risk factors. However, because of the complexity of combination interventions, it is difficult to determine the ‘active’ ingredient. A future challenge for researchers and clinicians will be to respond quickly to these rapidly evolving interventions in order to ensure the delivery of effective, evidence-based outcomes

Impact of area deprivation on the cardiac mortality in the UK between 1991 and 2010: evidence from a population-based longitudinal study

Aim: Evidence from longitudinal studies on the influence of area deprivation in cardiac mortality is limited. We aimed to examine the impact of area deprivation on cardiac mortality in a large representative Scottish population. We also examined differences between women and men. Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed by using linked data from Scottish Longitudinal Study from 1991-2010. The main exposure variable was socioeconomic status (SES) using the Carstairs deprivation scores, a composite score of area-level factors. Cox proportional-hazards models were constructed to evaluate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for cardiac mortality and all-cause mortality associated with area-based deprivation. Subgroup analyses were stratified by sex. Results: In a representative population of 217,965 UK adults, a total of 58,770 deaths occurred over a median of 10 years of follow-up period. The risk of cardiac mortality and all-cause mortality showed a consistent graded increased across the deprived groups. Compared to the least deprived group, the adjusted HR of cardiac mortality in the most deprived group was 1.27 (1.15-1.39,

Global atrial fibrillation awareness week and the new European Society of Cardiology guidelines

Abstract not available

A Chinese immigrant paradox? : low coronary heart disease incidence but higher short-term mortality in Western-dwelling Chinese immigrants : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background-Chinese form a large proportion of the immigrant population in Western countries. There is evidence that Chinese immigrants experience an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) after immigration in part due to cultural habits and acculturation. This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis that aims to examine the risk of CHD in people of Chinese ethnicity living in Western countries, in comparison with whites and another major immigrant group, South Asians. Methods and Results-Literature on the incidence, mortality, and prognosis of CHD among Chinese living in Western countries was searched systematically in any language using 6 electronic databases up to December 2014. Based on the meta-analysis, Chinese had lower incidence of CHD compared with whites (odds ratio 0.29; 95% CI: 0.24-0.34) and South Asians (odds ratio 0.37; 95% CI: 0.24-0.57) but higher short-term mortality after first hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction compared with whites (odds ratio 1.34; 95% CI, 1.04-1.73) and South Asians (odds ratio 1.82; 95% 1.33-2.50). There was no significant difference between Chinese immigrants and whites in long-term outcomes (mortality and recurrent events) after acute myocardial infarction. Conclusions-These findings provide an important focus for resource planning to enhance early secondary prevention of CHD to improve short-term survival outcomes among Western-dwelling Chinese immigrants

A realist evaluation approach to explaining the role of context in the impact of a complex eHealth intervention for improving prevention of cardiovascular disease

BackgroundReduction of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a worldwide health priority and innovative uses of technology-based interventions may assist patients with improving prevention behaviours. Targeting these interventions to recipients most likely to benefit requires understanding how contexts of use influence responsiveness to the intervention, and how this interaction favours or discourages health behaviour. Using a realist evaluation approach, the aim of this study was to examine the contextual factors influencing behaviour change within a multi-feature eHealth intervention with personalised data integration from the primary care electronic health record (EHR).MethodsRealist evaluation of qualitative data from the Consumer Navigation of Electronic Cardiovascular Tools (CONNECT) randomised trial (N = 934). Thirty-six participants from the intervention group (N = 486) who had completed 12 months of study follow-up were interviewed. Coding of transcripts was structured around configurations of contexts, mechanisms, and outcomes of intervention use. Contextual narratives were derived from thematic analysis of the interviews.ResultsMechanisms favouring positive health behaviour occurred when participants responded to four interactive features of the intervention. Facilitating mechanisms included greater cognitive engagement whereby participants perceived value and benefit, and felt motivated, confident and incentivised. Participants moved from being unconcerned (or unaware) to more task-oriented engagement with personal CVD risk profile and prevention. Increased personalisation occurred when modifiable CVD risk factors became relatable to lifestyle behaviour; and experiences of feeling greater agency/self-efficacy emerged. Use and non-use of the intervention were influenced by four overarching narratives within the individual’s micro-level and meso-level environments: illness experiences; receptiveness to risk and prevention information; history of the doctor-patient relationship; and relationship with technology.ConclusionsIntervention-context interactions are central to understanding how change mechanisms activate within complex interventions to exert their impact on recipients. Intervention use and non-use were context-dependent, underscoring the need for further research to target eHealth innovations to those most likely to benefit

Holistic needs assessment in brain cancer patients: A systematic review of available tools

This systematic review describes tools which could be considered for use for holistic needs assessment in Brain Cancer. MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and PsycINFO were searched. Studies where included which met the following criteria; primary research published in English which reported the development, psychometric testing or clinical utility testing of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) for the assessment of adult brain cancer patients’ needs or generic cancer needs assessment tools developed specifically on a brain cancer or brain tumour population. PROMs were selected that identified unmet needs, concerns or problems. Nine articles describing four tools were identified. The tools were assessed using the COSMIN protocol for systematic reviews of measurement properties and their quality and usefulness as a holistic needs assessment tool. None of the four tools had strong psychometric properties, and the two that were developed for HNA had only minimal psychometric testing. The two PROMs which were symptom questionnaires had better psychometric properties but would need adapted to holistically assess the multiple domains of need. The lack of a tool, which adequately meets all requirements, supports the need to further explore how HNA can be performed in brain cancer patients to optimize this intervention

Green Health Partnerships in Scotland; Pathways for Social Prescribing and Physical Activity Referral

Increased exposure to green space has many health benefits. Scottish Green Health Partnerships (GHPs) have established green health referral pathways to enable community-based interventions to contribute to primary prevention and the maintenance of health for those with established disease. This qualitative study included focus groups and semi-structured telephone interviews with a range of professionals involved in strategic planning for and the development and provision of green health interventions (n = 55). We explored views about establishing GHPs. GHPs worked well, and green health was a good strategic fit with public health priorities. Interventions required embedding into core planning for health, local authority, social care and the third sector to ensure integration into non-medical prescribing models. There were concerns about sustainability and speed of change required for integration due to limited funding. Referral pathways were in the early development stages and intervention provision varied. Participants recognised challenges in addressing equity, developing green health messaging, volunteering capacity and providing evidence of success. Green health interventions have potential to integrate successfully with social prescribing and physical activity referral. Participants recommended GHPs engage political and health champions, embed green health in strategic planning, target mental health, develop simple, positively framed messaging, provide volunteer support and implement robust routine data collection to allow future examination of success

Data management and wearables in older adults: A systematic review.

Background: Wearable trackers as research or clinical tools are increasingly used to support the care of older adults, due to their practicality in self-monitoring and potential to promote healthy lifestyle behaviours. However, limited understanding of appropriate data collection methods and analysis for different contexts still exists. Aim: To summarise evidence on wearable data generation and management in older adults, focusing on physical activity (PA),electrocardiogram (ECG), and vital signs monitoring. In addition to examine the accuracy and utility of incorporating wearable trackers into care of older people. Methods: A systematic search of CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed and a manual search were conducted. Twenty studies targeting wearable tracker use in older adults met inclusion criteria.Results: Methodological designs for data collection and analysis were heterogeneous with diverse definitions of wear and no-wear time, the number and type of valid days, and proprietary algorithms. Wearable trackers had adequate accuracy for measuring step counts, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), ECG and heart rate (HR), but notfor respiratory rate. Participants reported ease of use and had high-level adherence over daily long-term use.Moreover, wearable trackers encouraged users to increase their daily PA level and decrease waist circumference, facilitating atrial fibrillation (AF) diagnoses and predicting length of stay. Conclusion: Wearable trackers are multidimensional technologies offering a viable and promising approach for sustained and scaled monitoring of older people’s health. Framework and/or guidelines including standards for the design, data management and application of use specifically for older adults is required to enhance validity and reliability