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CompletedNCT00057200Updated Apr 7, 2015

Evaluating Telehealth Home Care for Elderly Veterans With Congestive Heart Failure

An interventional study of Telephone, videophone care in Heart Failure and Telemedicine, sponsored by US Department of Veterans Affairs. Completed at 1 site in United States. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2015-04-07.

Sponsored by US Department of Veterans Affairs · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
198
Allocation
Randomized
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is one of the most common reasons for hospitalization in patients aged 65 years and older. Many hospitalizations for CHF are potentially preventable if the warning signs of decompensation are recognized and treated before the situation becomes emergent. Home-based intervention programs have reduced unplanned readmission rates for patients with CHF by up to 50 percent. Using advanced telecommunications technologies it is now possible to provide greatly improved access and availability of services in a more timely and cost effective manner directly to patients� homes. Although telehealth offers a number of theoretical advantages, few empirical studies have compared telehealth to traditional delivery modes, and virtually no studies have compared the effectiveness of alternative telehealth applications.

Read the detailed description

Background:

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is one of the most common reasons for hospitalization in patients aged 65 years and older. Many hospitalizations for CHF are potentially preventable if the warning signs of decompensation are recognized and treated before the situation becomes emergent. Home-based intervention programs have reduced unplanned readmission rates for patients with CHF by up to 50 percent. Using advanced telecommunications technologies it is now possible to provide greatly improved access and availability of services in a more timely and cost effective manner directly to patients� homes. Although telehealth offers a number of theoretical advantages, few empirical studies have compared telehealth to traditional delivery modes, and virtually no studies have compared the effectiveness of alternative telehealth applications.

Objectives:

The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness and resource use of two telehealth interventions to traditional care provided for recently discharged outpatients with CHF. Four hypotheses will be tested. Compared to subjects who receive usual care, subjects who receive telehealth interventions (telephone or interactive video) following discharge will: 1) have lower readmission rates; 2) report improved quality of life, self-efficacy, and satisfaction with care; 3) use fewer resources, including hospital days, urgent care visits, and telephone calls; and 4) have higher survival rates.

Methods:

The study is a randomized controlled clinical trial. We will compare usual care to an intervention delivered by either telephone or interactive video to veterans following discharge from the hospital. A total of 198 subjects will be enrolled over three years. Subjects in the treatment groups (telephone or interactive video) will receive the intervention for 90 days following discharge from the hospital. Data to be collected includes measures of quality of life, self-efficacy, satisfaction, resource use, and mortality.

Status:

Project work is ongoing.

02

Conditions studied

  • Heart Failure
  • Telemedicine

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Keywords

  • Home Care
03

In context

Heart Failure

5,701 studies on the registry are indexed under Heart Failure; 1,220 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 198 is above the median of 72 across 3,736 interventional studies indexed under Heart Failure.

Browse Heart Failure studies →

Lead sponsor

US Department of Veterans Affairs is the lead sponsor of 658 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
Child (0–17), Adult (18–64), Older adult (65+)
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

Patients admitted to the Iowa City VA Medical Center for treatment of congestive heart failure exacerbation. Must be cognitively intact and have a telephone line in the home.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
198 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Other
    Arm 1

    Procedure: Telephone, videophone care

Interventions

  • ProcedureTelephone, videophone care
06

Study locations

1 site
  • Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, IA
    Iowa City, Iowa 52246-2208, United States
07

References and documents

Publications

  • Wakefield BJ, Orris LJ, Holman JE, Russell CL. User perceptions of in-home medication dispensing devices. J Gerontol Nurs. 2008 Jul;34(7):15-25. doi: 10.3928/00989134-20080701-10. PubMed 18649820 ↗
  • Wakefield BJ, Bylund CL, Holman JE, Ray A, Scherubel M, Kienzle MG, Rosenthal GE. Nurse and patient communication profiles in a home-based telehealth intervention for heart failure management. Patient Educ Couns. 2008 May;71(2):285-92. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2008.01.006. Epub 2008 Mar 11. PubMed 18337049 ↗
  • Wakefield BJ, Ward MM, Holman JE, Ray A, Scherubel M, Burns TL, Kienzle MG, Rosenthal GE. Evaluation of home telehealth following hospitalization for heart failure: a randomized trial. Telemed J E Health. 2008 Oct;14(8):753-61. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2007.0131. PubMed 18954244 ↗
  • Wakefield BJ, Holman JE, Ray A, Scherubel M, Burns TL, Kienzle MG, Rosenthal GE. Outcomes of a home telehealth intervention for patients with heart failure. J Telemed Telecare. 2009;15(1):46-50. doi: 10.1258/jtt.2008.080701. PubMed 19139220 ↗
  • Darkins A, Ryan P, Kobb R, Foster L, Edmonson E, Wakefield B, Lancaster AE. Care Coordination/Home Telehealth: the systematic implementation of health informatics, home telehealth, and disease management to support the care of veteran patients with chronic conditions. Telemed J E Health. 2008 Dec;14(10):1118-26. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2008.0021. PubMed 19119835 ↗
  • Wakefield BJ, Holman JE, Ray A, Morse J, Kiensie M. Nurse and patient preferences for telehealth home care. Geriatric Times. 2004 Mar 1; V(2):27-30.
  • Wakefield BJ, Holman JE, Ray A, Morse J, Kienzle MG. Nurse and patient communication via low- and high-bandwidth home telecare systems. J Telemed Telecare. 2004;10(3):156-9. doi: 10.1258/135763304323070805. PubMed 15165441 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 7, 2015, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00057200
Lead sponsor
US Department of Veterans Affairs
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Mar 31, 2003
Completion
Jan 2005
Last update
Apr 7, 2015

Study contacts

Bonnie J. Wakefield, PhD RN
principal investigator · Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, IA

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Feb 2007. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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