TEXT4HF: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Tailored Text Messaging Intervention to Improve Self-Care in Older Adult Patients With Heart Failure

Summary

The goal of this study is to determine whether an individually tailored text messaging intervention can improve self-care in older adult patients with heart failure. The main question it aims to answer are: * Is a tailored text messaging intervention feasible and acceptable among older adult patients with heart failure? * Does tailored text messaging improve self-care in adult patients with heart failure? Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups for 12 weeks: 1) intervention (text messaging); or 2) control group. Both groups will receive usual care, which includes regular follow-up visits at the heart failure clinic (standard care), plus a "Discharge Packet for Patients Diagnosed with Heart Failure", developed by the American Heart Association. Both groups will be asked via text messages and/or telephone calls to complete questionnaires at baseline/start, 4 weeks and 12 weeks, about self-care, quality of life, health beliefs, medications, diet, etc. Participants assigned to the intervention group will also receive approximately 5 text messages/week targeting medication adherence, heart-healthy diet, and self-monitoring for 12 weeks.

Detailed Description

Heart failure (HF) is a serious chronic condition and the most common hospital discharge diagnosis among older adults in the United States. Almost 7 million Americans are diagnosed with HF and new cases are rapidly rising at a rate of nearly 1 million per year. This feasibility pilot randomized controlled trial will be conducted using individually tailored text message (TM) intervention, delivered to improve HF self-care adherence. This randomized controlled trial in older adult patients (≥50 years of age) with HF to determine the feasibility (recruitment capability, acceptability), and preliminary efficacy of the Text4HF intervention compared with usual care over 12 weeks. Thirty (n=30) adult patients from the University of Illinois Hospital \& Health Sciences System (UIH) will be randomly assigned to the intervention or usual care group. Patients in the TM intervention (TEXT4HF) will receive messages that target the most common self-care factors known to precipitate HF hospitalizations (medication adherence, heart-healthy diet, and self-monitoring).

Eligibility Criteria

Interventions