Personal Decision Support System for Heart Failure Management (HeartMan)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03497871 |
Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : April 13, 2018
Last Update Posted : August 7, 2019
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
Heart Failure, Congestive | Device: HeartMan system | Not Applicable |

Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 69 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Supportive Care |
Official Title: | Proof-of-concept RCT: A Wearable Mobile Device to Improve Disease Management in Patients With Congestive Heart Failure |
Actual Study Start Date : | January 1, 2018 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | June 30, 2019 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | June 30, 2019 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Experimental: HeartMan intervention group
80 patients are in the intervention group (40 in Belgium and 40 in Italy). They use the HeartMan system in addition to receiving standard care. |
Device: HeartMan system
The HeartMan system uses wristband sensors to monitor patients' physical activity and physiological parameters. These data are connected to a decision support system, providing medical advice to patients concerning physical exercise, nutrition, medication intake, clinical measurements, environment management, and mental support. The decision support system is based on predictive models, clinical care guidelines and expert knowledge. The advice will be personalized according to each individual patient's medical and psychological profile, and will be presented to the patient through the user interface of a mobile application on a smartphone. |
No Intervention: Standard care (control) group
40 patients are in the no-intervention group (20 in Belgium and 20 in Italy). They receive standard care, which consists of optimal medical treatment according to the international guidelines. In addition, written and oral education on heart failure disease and its management is provided by the heart failure nurse at the moment a patient has been diagnosed with heart failure or whenever he is rehospitalized for heart failure if necessary. Further support after discharge is possible by giving the patient the opportunity to call with the heart failure nurse in case he has questions about his treatment or health condition. Regular visits with the treating physician are scheduled several times per year. |
- Change in self-care and health-related quality of life (1) [ Time Frame: Change from baseline to post-interventional measurement, assessed up to 36 weeks. ]Change from baseline in self-reported improvement in self-care and health-related quality of life on the Self-care of Heart Failure Index at 6 months.
- Change in self-care and health-related quality of life (2) [ Time Frame: Change from baseline to post-interventional measurement, assessed up to 36 weeks. ]Change from baseline in self-reported improvement in self-care and health-related quality of life on the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire at 6 months.
- Mortality and hospitalization [ Time Frame: This is an ongoing measurement during the 6 months trial period. ]Number of patients with (treatment-related) serious adverse events (SAE), based on hospital records and according to good clinical practice (GCP) guidelines ISO 14155.
- Change in adherence to dietary recommendations [ Time Frame: This is an ongoing measurement during the 6 months trial period. ]The effect of HeartMan on adherence to dietary recommendations, measured by a self-composed questionnaire. Patients get asked regularly and randomly during the 6 months trial period to fill in the questionnaire via the HeartMan application.
- Change in activity behavior [ Time Frame: This is an ongoing measurement during the 6 months trial period. ]The effect of HeartMan on activity behavior, measured by the estimated energy expenditure via the accelerometer in the HeartMan wristband.
- Change in medication adherence [ Time Frame: This is an ongoing measurement during the 6 months trial period. ]The effect of HeartMan on medication adherence, measured by questioning the patients about their medication intake on a weekly basis during the 6 months trial period.
- Change in sexual activity (1) [ Time Frame: Change from baseline to post-interventional measurement, assessed up to 36 weeks. ]
The effect of HeartMan on sexual activity. Change from baseline in sexual activity on the Sexual Adjustment Scale at 6 months.
This is a six-item self-report subscale of the Psychosocial Adjustment Scale that assesses illness-related changes in the quality of sexuality and relationship over the past month. Answers are provided using a four-point Likert scale in which a score of 0 is equal to "no disturbance" and a score of 3 is equal to "marked disturbance". The total score ranges from 0-18, whereby the lower the score the less the disturbance and vice versa.
- Change in sexual activity (2) [ Time Frame: Change from baseline to post-interventional measurement, assessed up to 36 weeks. ]
The effect of HeartMan on sexual activity. Change from baseline in sexual activity on the Needs for Counselling Scale in chronic Heart Failure at 6 months.
The questions in each domain are answered with a four-point Likert scale in which a score of 1 is equal to "totally not important" and a score of 4 is equal to "very important". An average score of 2.5 or more is considered to be important and counseling is recommended. A total score is not applicable.
- Change in illness perception [ Time Frame: Change from baseline to post-interventional measurement, assessed up to 36 weeks. ]The effect of HeartMan on illness perception. Change from baseline in illness perception on the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire at 6 months.
- Change in exercise tolerance (1) [ Time Frame: This is an ongoing measurement during the 6 months trial period. ]The effect of HeartMan on exercise tolerance. Measured by the change in resting heart rate and heart rate during exercise via the accelerometer in the HeartMan wristband.
- Change in exercise tolerance (2) [ Time Frame: Change from baseline to post-interventional measurement, assessed up to 36 weeks. ]The effect of HeartMan on exercise tolerance. Change from baseline in distance obtained at the six-minute walking test at 6 months.
- Change in anxiety [ Time Frame: Change from baseline to post-interventional measurement, assessed up to 36 weeks. ]Effect of psychological interventions in HeartMan using cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness exercise. Change from baseline in anxiety on the State Trait Anxiety Inventory at 6 months.
- Change in depression [ Time Frame: Change from baseline to post-interventional measurement, assessed up to 36 weeks. ]Effect of psychological interventions in HeartMan using cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness exercises. Change from baseline in depressive feelings on the Beck Depression Inventory II at 6 months.
- Change in patient's experience with HeartMan [ Time Frame: Change from baseline to post-interventional measurement, assessed up to 36 weeks. ]Evaluation of the patient's experience with HeartMan to assess the expectations towards the system and the patient's experiences. Change from baseline in patient's experience with HeartMan on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology questionnaire (adapted for the aims of the HeartMan system and to the population of elderly users) at 6 months.

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Willing and able to make use of a smartphone and to give informed consent for participation to the study
- Ischemic or non-ischemic heart failure disease
- Functional New York Heart Association (NYHA) class 2-3
- Reduced left ventricular ejection fraction ≤40%
- Ambulatory heart failure patients in stable condition: at least one hospitalization due to their heart failure once, but no hospitalization during the month before start of the trial and no planned surgery
- Good cognitive function, if cognitive impairment is suspected the patient will be evaluated by using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE)
- Sufficient knowledge of the native language (Dutch in Belgium, Italian in Italy)
Exclusion Criteria:
- Heart failure patients who fulfill the above mentioned criteria, but suffer from a concomitant end-stage chronic kidney disease necessitating haemodialysis
- Heart failure patients who fulfill the above mentioned criteria, but are already participating in a disease management program, influencing the HeartMan intervention

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT03497871
Belgium | |
OLV Hospital Aalst | |
Aalst, Belgium, 9300 | |
General Hospital Maria Middelares | |
Ghent, Belgium, 9000 | |
University Hospital Ghent | |
Ghent, Belgium, 9000 | |
Italy | |
Rieti General Hospital | |
Rieti, Italy, 02100 |
Principal Investigator: | Els Clays, PhD | University Ghent | |
Principal Investigator: | Paolo Emilio Puddu, PhD | University of Roma La Sapienza |
Publications:
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
Responsible Party: | Jozef Stefan Institute |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT03497871 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
HeartMan |
First Posted: | April 13, 2018 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | August 7, 2019 |
Last Verified: | August 2019 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | Undecided |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
Heart failure Self-management Health-related quality of life mHealth |
Heart Failure Heart Diseases Cardiovascular Diseases |