Smartphone app-guided secondary prevention in patients with coronary heart disease

Abstract

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Background Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Lifestyle change is a crucial part of secondary prevention. Only 30% of CAD patients follow the corresponding guideline recommendations. The widespread adoption of smartphones offers the opportunity to integrate secondary prevention into the daily routine of CAD patients. Purpose The purpose of this study was to show that smartphone-guided secondary prevention (SGSP) could achieve lifestyle changes and a gain of disease specific knowledge among CAD patients. Methods We developed an app to integrate secondary prevention into CAD patients’ everyday life. The app provided a daily 15-minute program that included video-guided exercises, video sessions with background information about CAD, and a tool to record blood pressure and heart rate once a day. The SGSP app was tested with the primary outcome of 28-day adherence. The secondary outcome was a composite of self-reported behavioural changes, gain of knowledge about cardiovascular risk factors and an increase in quality of life. Results Of the 66 patients screened, 43 (65%) were included into the study and, of those, 17 (40%) used the app continuously for 28 days. From this group, 14 (82%) were physically more active and ten (59%) improved their dietary habits. Usage of the SGSP app was also associated with a gain of knowledge about cardiovascular risk factors (70% physical activity, 59% healthy diet). Conclusion The regular use of a SGSP app appears to support lifestyle changes in patients with CAD. Primary and secondary endpoints Results Overall(n = 17) P-Value Adherence (28 days) 17 (39.5) 0.34 Behavioural change Significantly increased physical activity no. (%) 14 (82.4) 0.08 Implemented a healthier diet no. (%) 10 (58.8) 0.64 Relevant gain of knowledge about CVRF Physical activity no. (%) 12 (70.6) 0.13 Unhealthy diet no. (%) 10 (58.8) 1.00 Smoking no. (%) 1 (5.9) 0.47 Stress no. (%) 7 (41.2) 0.13 Potential for long-term use Willingness to use the App over a long time period (>28 days), no. (%) 15 (88.2) 1.00 Abstract Figure.