Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 30, 2026
In Silico Clinical Trials for Cardiovascular Disease
Published on: May 27, 2022
Delivery of Peer Support Through a Self-Management mHealth Intervention (Healing Circles) in Patients With
Brodie M Sakakibara1, Santabhanu Chakrabarti2, Andrew Krahn2
1Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Insights
This study evaluates Healing Circles, a mobile health program for cardiovascular disease (CVD) self-management. Findings will show if peer support improves patient outcomes and reduces healthcare use.
Area of Science:
- Digital health interventions
- Cardiovascular disease management
- Patient self-management support
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major global health concern, driving significant hospitalizations and mortality.
- Increasing CVD prevalence necessitates effective self-management programs to prevent secondary complications.
- Peer support and mobile health offer promising avenues for enhancing patient engagement in CVD care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of Healing Circles, an evidence-based mobile health program utilizing peer support for CVD self-management.
- To test the hypothesis that Healing Circles improves self-management abilities in individuals with CVD compared to usual care.
- To assess the program's impact on secondary outcomes including self-efficacy, quality of life, and healthcare resource utilization.
Main Methods:
- A single-blinded (assessor) randomized controlled trial involving 250 community-living individuals with CVD.
- Participants randomized 1:1 to either the Healing Circles program or usual care.
- Primary outcome: self-management measured by the Health Education Impact Questionnaire v3.0; secondary outcomes assessed over 24 months.
Main Results:
- Study recruitment commenced in September 2017, with ongoing participant follow-up.
- Data collection occurs every six months, with study completion anticipated in December 2019.
- Preliminary data on intervention uptake and adherence are being collected.
Conclusions:
- Healing Circles is a novel peer support intervention designed to enhance self-management in CVD patients.
- The real-world study design ensures findings are readily translatable to clinical practice.
- Positive results would support Healing Circles as an effective strategy for improving CVD self-management and reducing healthcare utilization.
Background:
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of hospitalization and death around the world. The prevalence of CVD is increasing and, therefore, development and investigation of effective programs to help people better self-manage their CVD and prevent secondary complications are needed.
Objective:
In this paper, we report on a protocol to evaluate Healing Circles-an evidence-based and patient-informed peer support mobile health program designed to facilitate self-management and support patients in their recovery from and management of CVD. We hypothesize that individuals with CVD who use Healing Circles will experience greater improvements to their self-management ability than individuals receiving usual care.
Methods:
In this single-blinded (assessor) randomized controlled trial, 250 community-living individuals with CVD will be randomized on a 1:1 basis to either Healing Circles or Usual Care. The primary outcome of self-management will be measured using the Health Education Impact Questionnaire version 3.0. Secondary outcomes include self-efficacy with chronic disease management, health-related quality of life, health resource use and costs, and electronic health literacy. Measurements will be taken at the baseline and every 6 months for 24 months.
Results:
The study started recruitment in September 2017. Individuals are currently being recruited for participation, and existing participants are currently on follow-up. Measurements will be taken every 6 months until the study end, which is anticipated in December 2019.
Conclusions:
Healing Circles is a novel program aimed toward improving self-management through peer support. Given our real-world study design, our findings will be readily translatable into practice. If the results support our hypothesis, it will indicate that Healing Circles is an effective intervention for improving self-management and reducing health care use.
Trial Registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03159325; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03159325 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/74DvxVKUd).
International Registered Report Identifier (Irrid):
DERR1-10.2196/12322.
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