Is Web-only self-care education sufficient for heart failure patients?
Heart failure patients require complex, long-term care. Research shows that self-care education improves health outcomes of these patients. This study reports the results of a randomized trial which compared the effects of two remote educational interventions on heart failure patients' knowledge of self-care practices. The first group reviewed self-care content on a Web site and had email access to a cardiac nurse. The second group had access to the Web site, and participated in four telephone-based sessions with the cardiac nurse. The test scores of both groups significantly improved following the intervention. However, the post-intervention test scores of the group that included telephone sessions were significantly higher than the scores for the group that had access to the Web site only. These results show a benefit to learning of a teleconferencing intervention that is over and above the benefit of an intervention based on Web information and email access alone.
Jovicic
Aleksandra
A
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada.
Chignell
Mark
M
Wu
Robert
R
Straus
Sharon E
SE
D020375:Education, Distance; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D012648:Self Care; D013689:Telephone