title: Health-related quality of life in a multicenter randomized controlled comparison of telephonic disease management and automated home monitoring in patients recently hospitalized with heart failure: SPAN-CHF II trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although disease management programs have been shown to provide a number of clinical benefits to patients with heart failure (HF), the incremental impact of an automated home monitoring (AHM) system on health-related quality of life (HRQL) is unknown.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We performed a prospective randomized investigation, examining the additive value of AHM to a previously described nurse-directed HF disease management program (SPAN-CHF), with attention to HRQL, in patients with a recent history of decompensated HF. A total of 188 patients were randomized to receive the SPAN-CHF intervention for 90 days, either with (AHM group) or without (NAHM, standard-care group) AHM, with a 1:1 randomization ratio after HF-related hospitalization. HRQL, measured by the Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) (Physical, Emotional, and Total scores on MLHFQ) was assessed at 3 time points: baseline, 45 days, and 90 days. Although both treatments (AHM and NAHM) improved HRQL at 45 and 90 days compared with baseline with respect to Physical, Emotional, and Total domain scales, no significant difference emerged between AHM and NAHM groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AHM and NAHM treatments demonstrated improved HRQL scores at 45 and 90 days after baseline assessment. When comparing 2 state-of the-art disease management programs regarding HRQL outcomes, our results did not support the added value of AHM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Counseling and School Psychology, University of Massachusetts, 2 Avery Street, Boston, MA, USA. vkonstam@gmail.com
authors.forename: Varda
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Konstam
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gregory
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weintraub
authors.forename: Ayan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Venesy
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Delano
authors.forename: Marvin A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Konstam
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D001331:Automation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D006699:Home Care Services; D015277:Hotlines / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*