Effect of a Lifestyle-Focused Web-Based Application on Risk Factor Management in Patients Who Have Had a Myocardial...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Digital Health
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Cardiac rehabilitation is crucial for post-myocardial infarction recovery, yet guideline targets are often unmet.
• eHealth solutions present opportunities to enhance clinical care and patient adherence to recommendations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a web-based application, supplementing center-based cardiac rehabilitation, on patient outcomes.
• To compare the effectiveness of this eHealth intervention against standard cardiac rehabilitation (usual care) in managing risk factors and improving exercise capacity.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 150 patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation.
• The intervention group used a web-based application for 25 weeks to track lifestyle, risk factors, and symptoms, receiving feedback and advice.
• Primary outcome: change in submaximal exercise capacity; Secondary outcomes: changes in modifiable risk factors, application adherence, and smoking cessation.

Main Results:

• The intervention group showed significantly greater reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to usual care.
• Improvements in a healthy diet index score were significantly higher in the intervention group within the first two weeks.
• A trend towards better exercise capacity and higher smoking cessation rates was observed in the intervention group, though not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

• Integrating a web-based application with cardiac rehabilitation effectively improved blood pressure and dietary habits in the early post-myocardial infarction period.
• The eHealth intervention demonstrated promising trends in exercise capacity and smoking cessation, warranting further investigation.
• These findings support the continued development and implementation of eHealth technologies to enhance cardiac rehabilitation outcomes.