AIMS: An earlier combined proactive and reactive telephone follow-up intervention for acute myocardial infarction patients after discharge from hospital showed positive effects after six months. The aim of the present study was to assess whether the intervention has long-term effects up to 18 months after discharge. DESIGN: A prospective randomised controlled trial with 18 months follow-up. METHOD: The trial was conducted with 288 patients allocated to a telephone follow-up intervention group (n = 156) or control group (n = 132). The primary endpoint was health-related quality of life using the SF-36. Secondary endpoints included smoking and exercise habits, return to work and rehospitalisation due to chest pain. RESULTS: There were significant improvements over time on most dimensions of health-related quality of life in both the intervention and control group to US norm population levels on most SF-36 dimensions and summary scores. The intervention group showed no overall significant improvement beyond six months in the physical or mental summary scores, but there was a significant effect for those aged 70 or above. Although there was a promising effect for rehospitalisation due to chest pain, no significant differences were found between the groups on the secondary endpoints after six months. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that despite positive short-term effects at six months, the telephone follow-up intervention had no long-term effects on health-related quality of life or secondary endpoints. However, the potential for improvement beyond six months was less than anticipated reflecting a reduced morbidity among acute myocardial infarction patients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Telephone follow-up after discharge from hospital is an easy implementable follow-up intervention enabling individualised provision of information and support in a time often experienced as stressful by patients. Our study indicates that six months is an adequate support period. Despite positive results six months after discharge no significant added long-term effects of telephone follow-up, compared to usual care were found in this study.
RCT Entities:
AIMS: An earlier combined proactive and reactive telephone follow-up intervention for acute myocardial infarctionpatients after discharge from hospital showed positive effects after six months. The aim of the present study was to assess whether the intervention has long-term effects up to 18 months after discharge. DESIGN: A prospective randomised controlled trial with 18 months follow-up. METHOD: The trial was conducted with 288 patients allocated to a telephone follow-up intervention group (n = 156) or control group (n = 132). The primary endpoint was health-related quality of life using the SF-36. Secondary endpoints included smoking and exercise habits, return to work and rehospitalisation due to chest pain. RESULTS: There were significant improvements over time on most dimensions of health-related quality of life in both the intervention and control group to US norm population levels on most SF-36 dimensions and summary scores. The intervention group showed no overall significant improvement beyond six months in the physical or mental summary scores, but there was a significant effect for those aged 70 or above. Although there was a promising effect for rehospitalisation due to chest pain, no significant differences were found between the groups on the secondary endpoints after six months. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that despite positive short-term effects at six months, the telephone follow-up intervention had no long-term effects on health-related quality of life or secondary endpoints. However, the potential for improvement beyond six months was less than anticipated reflecting a reduced morbidity among acute myocardial infarctionpatients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Telephone follow-up after discharge from hospital is an easy implementable follow-up intervention enabling individualised provision of information and support in a time often experienced as stressful by patients. Our study indicates that six months is an adequate support period. Despite positive results six months after discharge no significant added long-term effects of telephone follow-up, compared to usual care were found in this study.
Authors: Janice Hegewald; Uta E Wegewitz; Ulrike Euler; Jaap L van Dijk; Jenny Adams; Alba Fishta; Philipp Heinrich; Andreas Seidler Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2019-03-14
Authors: Grace Dibben; James Faulkner; Neil Oldridge; Karen Rees; David R Thompson; Ann-Dorthe Zwisler; Rod S Taylor Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2021-11-06
Authors: Lindsey Anderson; David R Thompson; Neil Oldridge; Ann-Dorthe Zwisler; Karen Rees; Nicole Martin; Rod S Taylor Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2016-01-05
Authors: Shannon H Houser; Midge N Ray; Richard Maisiak; Anantachai Panjamapirom; James Willing; Gordon D Schiff; Thomas English; Christa Nevin; Eta S Berner Journal: Stud Health Technol Inform Date: 2013