A randomized trial of the addition of home-based exercise to specialist heart failure nurse care: the Birmingham Rehabilitation Uptake Maximisation study for patients with Congestive Heart Failure (BRUM-CHF) study.
OBJECTIVE
Supervised exercise can benefit selected patients with heart failure, however the effectiveness of home-based exercise remains uncertain. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of a home-based exercise programme in addition to specialist heart failure nurse care.


RESULTS
This was a randomized controlled trial of a home-based walking and resistance exercise programme plus specialist nurse care (n=84) compared with specialist nurse care alone (n=85) in a heart failure population in the West Midlands, UK.


METHODS
Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLwHFQ) at 6 and 12 months.


RESULTS
composite of death, hospital admission with heart failure or myocardial infarction; psychological well-being; generic quality of life (EQ-5D); exercise capacity. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in the MLwHFQ at 6 month (mean, 95% CI) (-2.53, -7.87 to 2.80) and 12 month (-0.55, -5.87 to 4.76) follow-up or secondary outcomes with the exception of a higher EQ-5D score (0.11, 0.04 to 0.18) at 6 months and lower Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score (-1.07, -2.00 to -0.14) at 12 months, in favour of the exercise group. At 6 months, the control group showed deterioration in physical activity, exercise capacity, and generic quality of life.


CONCLUSIONS
Home-based exercise training programmes may not be appropriate for community-based heart failure patients.
Jolly
Kate
K
Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Birmingham, Public Health Building, and University Department of Medicine, City Hospital, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. c.b.jolly@bham.ac.uk
Taylor
Rod S
RS
Lip
Gregory Y H
GY
Davies
Mick
M
Davis
Russell
R
Mant
Jonathan
J
Singh
Sally
S
Greenfield
Sheila
S
Ingram
Jackie
J
Stubley
Jane
J
Bryan
Stirling
S
Stevens
Andrew
A
D000368:Aged; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000451:nursing / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006699:Home Care Services; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011788:Quality of Life; D013041:Specialties, Nursing; D016896:Treatment Outcome