title: Investigating a TELEmedicine solution to improve MEDication adherence in chronic Heart Failure (TELEMED-HF): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Frequent rehospitalisations and poorer survival chances in heart failure (HF) patients may partly be explained by poor medication adherence. There are multiple medication-related reasons for suboptimal adherence, but psychological reasons may also be important. A novel TELEmonitoring device may improve MEDication adherence in HF patients (TELEMED-HF). TELEMED-HF is a randomized, controlled clinical intervention trial designed to examine (1) the efficacy and cost-efficiency of an electronic medication adherence support system in improving and monitoring HF patients' medication adherence; (2) the effect of medication adherence on hospitalizations and health care consumption; as well as on (3) clinical characteristics, and Quality of Life (QoL); and (4) clinical, sociodemographic, and psychological determinants of medication adherence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive patients with chronic, systolic HF presenting to the outpatient clinic of the TweeSteden Hospital, The Netherlands, will be approached for study participation and randomly assigned (1:1) following blocked randomization procedures to the intervention (n = 200) or usual care arm (n = 200). Patients in the intervention arm use the medication support device for six months in addition to usual care. Post-intervention, patients return to usual care only and all patients participate in four follow-up occasions over 12 months. Primary endpoints comprise objective and subjective medication adherence, healthcare consumption, number of hospitalizations, and cost-effectiveness. Secondary endpoints include disease severity, physical functioning, and QoL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The TELEMED-HF study will provide us a comprehensive understanding of medication adherence in HF patients, and will show whether telemonitoring is effective and cost-efficient in improving adherence and preventing hospitalization in HF patients.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  NCT01347528.
authors: Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic diseases (CoRPS), Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
authors: Dionne
authors: D
authors: Kessing
authors: Johan
authors: J
authors: Denollet
authors: Jos
authors: J
authors: Widdershoven
authors: Nina
authors: N
authors: Kupper
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D055118:Medication Adherence; D012107:Research Design; D017216:Telemedicine