Abstract 12491: Use of a Self-Care Mobile Phone Application Can Improve Patient Education and Medication Adherence in Patients With Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

Abstract

Introduction: The use of digital health technologies using mobile phone health applications has increased over the last few years. We developed a mobile phone application (APP) (Aintree Heart Failure Passport APP) for heart failure (HF) patient self-education and improved medication adherence. The APP consisted of a Traffic Light System for education self-care advice, prompt for medications, reminder of appointments, educational videos as well as a mood check questionnaire. Methods: This was a pilot feasibility study in a British university hospital conducted in 2019 and 2020. We assessed self-care behaviour following the use of the Aintree Heart Failure Passport Mobile APP in a cohort of patients with acute decompensated HF. We employed the use of European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour scale (EHFSBs), medication adherence using the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5) at 2 weeks and compared 30-day HF readmissions with annual hospital HF data. Descriptive statistics were represented as continuous variables as means with standard deviations. Categorical variables were represented with percentages and analysed using Chi-squared test. Results: 102 patients with acute decompensated HF were recruited to this pilot feasibility study. 57% were men and mean age 56 years±5.1. 55% patients had HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), 34% had HF with preserved EF (HFpEF) and 11% had HF with mid-range EF. Mean EHFSBs was 19.7±6.1and mean MARS-5 score was 23.5±1. 10/102 (10%) patients were re-hospitalised with HF compared to the annual hospital HF rehospitalisation incidence which was 19% (95/393); p=0.04. Conclusions: Results from our pilot feasibility study suggest that use of a HF self care mobile phone APP (Aintree Heart Failure Passport App) in patients with acute decompensated HF, leads to high quality self care behaviour, high levels of medication adherence and lower levels of 30-day HF re-hospitalisation. These results will need to be validated in a randomised controlled trial.