Coaching patients On Achieving Cardiovascular Health (COACH): a multicenter randomized trial in patients with coronary heart disease.
BACKGROUND
Disease management programs in which drugs are prescribed by dietitians or nurses have been shown to improve the coronary risk factor profile in patients with coronary heart disease. However, those disease management programs in which drugs are not prescribed by allied health professionals have not improved coronary risk factor status. The objective of the Coaching patients On Achieving Cardiovascular Health (COACH) study was to determine whether dietitians or nurses who did not prescribe medications could coach patients with coronary heart disease to work with their physicians to achieve the target levels for their total cholesterol (TC) and other risk factors.


METHODS
Multicenter randomized controlled trial in which 792 patients from 6 university teaching hospitals underwent a stratified randomization by cardiac diagnosis within each hospital: 398 were assigned to usual care plus The COACH Program and 394 to usual care alone. Patients in The COACH Program group received regular personal coaching via telephone and mailings to achieve the target levels for their particular coronary risk factors. There was one coach per hospital. The primary outcome was the change in TC (DeltaTC) from baseline (in hospital) to 6 months after randomization. Secondary outcomes included measurement of a wide range of physical, nutritional, and psychological factors. The analysis was performed by intention to treat.


RESULTS
The COACH Program achieved a significantly greater DeltaTC than usual care alone: the mean DeltaTC was 21 mg/dL (0.54 mmol/L) (95% confidence interval [CI], 16-25 mg/dL [0.42-0.65 mmol/L]) in The COACH Program vs 7 mg/dL (0.18 mmol/L) (95% CI, 3-11 mg/dL [0.07-0.29 mmol/L]) in the usual care group (P<.0001). Thus, the reduction in TC from baseline to 6 months after randomization was 14 mg/dL (0.36 mmol/L) (95% CI, 8-20 mg/dL [0.20-0.52 mmol/L]) greater in The COACH Program group than in the usual care group. Coaching produced substantial improvements in most of the other coronary risk factors and in patient quality of life.


CONCLUSIONS
Coaching, delivered as The COACH Program, is a highly effective strategy in reducing TC and many other coronary risk factors in patients with coronary heart disease. Coaching has potential effectiveness in the whole area of chronic disease management.
Vale
Margarite J
MJ
Department of Cardiology and The University of Melbourne Department of Medicine, Australia. margarite.vale@svhm.org.au
Jelinek
Michael V
MV
Best
James D
JD
Dart
Anthony M
AM
Grigg
Leeanne E
LE
Hare
David L
DL
Ho
Betty P
BP
Newman
Robert W
RW
McNeil
John J
JJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000488:Allied Health Personnel; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010349:Patient Compliance; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000379:methods*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors
D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D002784:Cholesterol