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CompletedNCT00178009Updated Feb 21, 2011

Developing and Assessing Competencies for Caregivers and Patients With Ventricular Assist Devices

An observational study in Congestive Heart Failure, sponsored by University of Pittsburgh. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 95 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2011-02-21.

Sponsored by University of Pittsburgh · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
8
Ages
18 Years to 95 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Discharge to the community is increasingly becoming a priority for patients implanted with a Ventricular Assist Device (VAD). Because VADs are complex, patients and caregivers often fear leaving the hospital, although their status does not require hospitalization. This project includes development of CD/video and web-based instructional programs on management of the VAD controller for patients and their caregivers (formal and informal). A clinical trial will be used to examine discharge rates and placements following patients educated under usual care vs. self-pace CD/video conditions.

Read the detailed description

Discharge to the community is increasingly becoming a priority for patients implanted with a Ventricular Assist Device (VAD). The current study is designed to develop an Artificial Heart Continuity of Care Competency Program (AHC3P) to ensure the safety and feasibility of their return to the community. This program will identify and delineate the step-by-step procedures required to care for a patient's ventricular assist device (VAD) on a daily basis, or during an emergency. These step-by-step procedures will be will be used to develop a self-paced learning CD/video program for patients and caregivers and competencies. The same competencies will also be used by the Artificial Heart Program team to assess caregiver skills, and provide direct feedback on steps that need revision or more in-depth instruction. Subjects will be recruited in four phases. Training for all four phases will be conducted by members of the AHP team. During Phase I, VAD recipients will be videotaped while undergoing the current Artificial Heart Program (AHP) training. During Phase II, VAD recipients and their caregivers will be recruited as the control group and will also undergo the current AHP training. Phase III will involve patients and their informal caregivers undergoing the AHC3P and will serve as the experimental group. Data regarding the self-efficacy of the trainees and the length of time and the number of trials required to achieve competency with the AHC3P will be compared to the training program currently in place. During the fourth phase, health care professionals from UPMC will be recruited to undergo the AHC3P training. Data regarding their self-efficacy prior to and after the training program will be compared.

02

Conditions studied

  • Congestive Heart Failure

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Keywords

  • computer-assisted instruction
  • instruction (video)
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 enrollment of 8 is below the median of 200 across 1,679 observational studies indexed under Heart Failure.

Browse Heart Failure studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Pittsburgh is the lead sponsor of 1,385 studies on the registry; 167 are open to participants now.

Of its 8 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 4 (50%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 95 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Four males; 4 females. Mean age of 39.6 (age range = 26-67) Caucasian = 100%

Inclusion criteria

Patient and Caregiver Phase: The inclusion criteria are: (1) patients implanted with a VAD and identified by a member of the AHP team to undergo training prior to discharge (2) informal caregiver of a patient implanted with a VAD and identified by a member of the AHP team to undergo training (3) are between 18 to 95 years of age. No exclusion criteria shall be based on race, ethnicity, gender, or HIV status.

Health Professional Phase: The inclusion criteria are: (1) A licensed health-care professional (2) currently employed at UPMC No exclusion criteria shall be based on race, ethnicity, gender, or HIV status.

Exclusion criteria

-

Exclusion Criteria:

-

05

Study design

Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
8 participants (actual)

Interventions

  • Behavioralself-paced instruction

    Patients and caregivers review a DVD as often as they wish on how to care for routine and emergency procedures associated with their artificial heart

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Patient and caregiver competency scores

    Time frame: Upon discharge

Secondary outcomes

  1. Time and number of trials to competency for patients and caregivers.

    Time frame: Upon discharge

07

Study locations

1 site
  • University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Feb 21, 2011, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00178009
Lead sponsor
University of Pittsburgh
Collaborators
Beckwith Foundation
First posted
Sep 15, 2005
Start date
Jan 2006
Primary completion
Jun 2008
Completion
Jun 2008
Last update
Feb 21, 2011

Study contacts

Margo B. Holm, PhD
principal investigator · University of Pittsburgh

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Feb 2011. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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