Therapeutic Education Strategy for Patients With Acute Heart Failure

The prevalence of HF in France is increasing. According to a report from the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) - the French Health Authority - published in June 2015 concerning discharge of patients hospitalized for HF, 2.3% of the French adult population is affected. Despite improvements in treatment and HF-specific care, the rehospitalization rate for HF remains substantial, and HF management is a major public health issue.

Chronic HF leads to psychological and physiological issues in patients. Furthermore, this disease affects patient quality of life and activities of daily living.

The HAS also reported that even if iterative hospitalizations are the consequence of complicated and multifactorial situations, some could be prevented by improved patient care.

The aim of the EduStra-HF study is to examine the effect of an intensive therapeutic education on patients discharged from hospital after an episode of acute HF. It will study whether this intervention reduces the rate of rehospitalization and increases quality of life in this population.

To achieve this goal, a multicentre, randomized, two parallel arm study will be conducted. Patients will be included in several cardiology centres in Paris (Ile-de-France) over 2 years and 3 months.

Included patients, chosen from patients admitted for acute HF in the participating hospitals, will be randomized into two groups, which will determine the monitoring they receive after discharge. For each patient, monitoring will last for 1 year from the day they return home.

The first group of patients will be randomized to receive "usual care" monitoring and will not be given specific therapeutic education after discharge.

The second group (intervention arm) will receive a specific educational monitoring programme from nurses via telephone calls and home visits, for 1 year. Monitoring will began early after discharge. Annual medical monitoring and visits to the cardiologist will also be planned.

All patients, regardless of attribution arm, will meet a nurse trained in therapeutic education during their stay in hospital. Moreover, validated and HF-related self-assessed questionnaires will be analyzed to assess quality of life and impact of HF on patient activities of daily living.

In the interventional arm, patients will receive monitoring documents, such as a HF information booklet and a personal monitoring agenda.

The EduStra-HF study will provide a specific analysis of a multisupport therapeutic education (including medical monitoring). Data on all HF drug treatments, including the more recent ones (e.g. Entresto), blood tests results, and cardiologic data will be recorded.

Inclusion criteria

• Adult patient with acute HF
• Affiliated to the French Social Security system
• Accepting the principle of telephone monitoring
• Accepting home visits from a study nurse
• Possession of a mobile phone

Exclusion criteria

Psychosocial:

• Refusal to accept the study design
• Patient under guardianship
• Monitoring obstacle: language, cognitive deficiency, itinerant lifestyle, regular travel, institutionalization
• Inability to sign the consent form or to complete questionnaires

Medical:

• Active cancer
• Severe psychiatric or neurological disorder
• Complicated acute myocardial infarction
• Significant valvular diseases requiring surgery
• Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy
• Planned heart transplant
• Cardiac surgery in the previous 3 months
• Enrollment in another clinical trial
• Medical or surgical procedure which might interfere with monitoring