Prospective memory impairment in chronic heart failure: a replication study

Abstract

Cognitive deficits are common in patients with chronic heart failure (HF), but little attention has been given to the investigation of prospective memory (PM)the ability to execute delayed intentions. Importantly, many aspects of PM are crucial for patient implementation of HF self-care behaviours. Here we provide a replication of our original work involving PM in patients with HF. We compared a group of 51 HF patients to 41 closely matched controls. The primary outcome measure was a laboratory test of PM, Virtual week, which closely simulates PM tasks in daily life. A series of background cognitive tests were also administered. Consistent with our previous work, the HF group had significant PM impairment compared to controls, and these difficulties were generalised across different types of PM tasks. Surprisingly, we did not find any differences on the background cognitive tasks between groups. Compared to controls, the HF group had significant and similar sized deficits on all task parameters assessed (event, time, regular, irregular) of PM function, which likely impacts engagement in HF self-care.

Health Psychology adopts Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) Guidelines.

“…Although replicability in behavioral science has been a hot topic in recent years (Anderson, 2020; Maxwell et al, 2015; Shrout & Rodgers, 2018; Tackett et al, 2019); few replication studies have been published in health psychology or behavioral medicine journals. The few that have been published (e.g., Habota et al, 2020; Wood et al, 2019) may represent the beginning of a shift from our field’s traditional aversion to replication studies to a more welcoming stance. By adopting the TOP Replication standard, we are doing more than simply declaring that authors are welcome to submit replication studies; we are actively encouraging them to do so.…”