Abstract P239: Impact of American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Online Support Network on Quality of Life

Abstract

Introduction: Support of patients with cardiovascular (CV) disease and stroke is often associated with improved health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Hypothesis: We assessed the hypothesis that change in patient HRQOL, perception of emotional and informational support, and satisfaction with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s (AHA/ASA) online Support Network (SN) would be observed from before joining the SN to two months after joining the SN. Methods: Using a pre/post-test design, between April 2018 and March 2020, 2,542 adult patients completed a baseline online survey, of whom 412 completed a survey two months later (response rate=16%). Self-report instruments included: Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global Health Questionnaire, Emotional Support (ES), Informational Support (IS), and an AHA/ASA-developed measure of satisfaction with the SN. After converting raw scores into T-scores, linear mixed effects models were used to compare pre and post T-scores. Results: Patients were on average 56± 12.8 years of age, female (63.3%), non-Hispanic White (76.5%), married (58.3%), employed (49.8%), and >high school education (85.0%). 83.5% reported having a CV condition, most commonly hypertension (38.8%), myocardial infarction (31.3%), high cholesterol (31.1%), atrial fibrillation (25.2%); 58.0% reported ≤ 4 co-morbidities. T-scores (mean±SD) did not differ significantly from before to two months after joining the SN: physical health domain (pre=39.2±3.6, post=39.3±3.4) and mental health domain (pre=43.3±9.6, post=44.5±9.7); ES (pre=49.5±9.8, post=49.3±9.8), and IS (pre=49.8±10.3, post=50.5±10.5). At two months, satisfied, neutral, and dissatisfied with SN were 46.3%,44.2%, and 5.1% respectively. 61.5% were likely to recommend the SN to others. Conclusions: In conclusion, HRQOL measures remained stable. Before and after SN participation, physical and mental domain global health scores were lower than the U.S. general population mean of 50, while ES and IS scores approximated the U.S. general population mean. Satisfaction with the SN was moderate with the majority of respondents likely to recommend to others. Future research might explore extending the timeframe to observe change in global health scores.