J Card Fail. 2011 Oct;17(10):789-96. doi: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2011.06.374. Epub 2011 Jul 23.

The effect of progressive, reinforcing telephone education and counseling versus brief educational intervention on knowledge, self-care behaviors and heart failure symptoms.

Baker DW, Dewalt DA, Schillinger D, Hawk V, Ruo B, Bibbins-Domingo K, Weinberger M, Macabasco-O'Connell A, Grady KL, Holmes GM, Erman B, Broucksou KA, Pignone M.

Source

Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA. dbaker1@nmff.org

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The optimal strategy for promoting self-care for heart failure (HF) is unclear.

METHODS AND RESULTS:

We conducted a randomized trial to determine whether a "teach to goal" (TTG) educational and behavioral support program provided incremental benefits to a brief (1 hour) educational intervention (BEI) for knowledge, self-care behaviors, and HF-related quality of life (HFQOL). The TTG program taught use of adjusted-dose diuretics and then reinforced learning goals and behaviors with 5 to 8 telephone counseling sessions over 1 month. Participants' (n = 605) mean age was 61 years; 37% had marginal or inadequate literacy; 69% had ejection fraction <0.45; and 31% had Class III or IV symptoms. The TTG group had greater improvements in general and salt knowledge (P < .001) and greater increases in self-care behaviors (from mean 4.8 to 7.6 for TTG vs. 5.2 to 6.7 for BEI; P < .001). HFQOL improved from 58.5 to 64.6 for the TTG group but did not change for the BEI group (64.7 to 63.9; P < .001 for the difference in change scores). Improvements were similar regardless of participants' literacy level.

CONCLUSIONS:

Telephone reinforcement of learning goals and self-care behaviors improved knowledge, health behaviors, and HF-related QOL compared to a single education session.