Similarly , there was no clear evidence of effect for cardiovascular risk factors , although again the number of studies reporting these was small .
There was some evidence for beneficial effects on HRQOL , dietary outcomes , and physical activity , although firm conclusions can not yet be made .
The effects on healthcare utilisation and cost-effectiveness are also inconclusive , and trials are yet to measure the impact of  Internet interventions on compliance with medication .
BACKGROUND The Internet could provide a means of delivering secondary prevention programmes to people with coronary heart disease ( CHD ) .
OBJECTIVES To determine the effectiveness of Internet-based interventions targeting lifestyle changes and medicines management for the secondary prevention of CHD .
A randomised controlled trial of a consumer-focused e-health strategy for cardiovascular risk management in primary care: the Consumer Navigation of Electronic Cardiovascular Tools (CONNECT) study protocol
Introduction Fewer than half of all people at highest risk of a cardiovascular event are receiving and adhering to best practice recommendations to lower their risk . In this project , we examine the role of an e-health-assisted consumer-focused strategy as a means of overcoming these gaps between evidence and practice . Consumer Navigation of Electronic Cardiovascular Tools ( CONNECT ) aims to test whether a consumer-focused e-health strategy provided to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Isl and er and non-indigenous adults , recruited through primary care , at moderate-to-high risk of a cardiovascular disease event will improve risk factor control when compared with usual care . Methods and analysis R and omised controlled trial of 2000 participants with an average of 18 months of follow-up to evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated consumer-directed e-health portal on cardiovascular risk compared with usual care in patients with cardiovascular disease or who are at moderate-to-high cardiovascular disease risk . The trial will be augmented by formal economic and process evaluations to assess acceptability , equity and cost-effectiveness of the intervention . The intervention group will participate in a consumer-directed e-health strategy for cardiovascular risk management . The programme is electronically integrated with the primary care provider 's software and will include interactive smart phone and Internet platforms . The primary outcome is a composite endpoint of the proportion of people meeting the Australian guideline -recommended blood pressure ( BP ) and cholesterol targets . Secondary outcomes include change in mean BP and fasting cholesterol levels , proportion meeting BP and cholesterol targets separately , self-efficacy , health literacy , self-reported point prevalence abstinence in smoking , body mass index and waist circumference , self-reported physical activity and self-reported medication adherence . Ethics and dissemination Primary ethics approval was received from the University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee and the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council . Results will be disseminated via the usual scientific forums including peer- review ed publications and presentations at international conferences Clinical Trials registration number ACTRN12613000715774
Similarly , there was no clear evidence of effect for cardiovascular risk factors , although again the number of studies reporting these was small .
There was some evidence for beneficial effects on HRQOL , dietary outcomes , and physical activity , although firm conclusions can not yet be made .
The effects on healthcare utilisation and cost-effectiveness are also inconclusive , and trials are yet to measure the impact of  Internet interventions on compliance with medication .
BACKGROUND The Internet could provide a means of delivering secondary prevention programmes to people with coronary heart disease ( CHD ) .
OBJECTIVES To determine the effectiveness of Internet-based interventions targeting lifestyle changes and medicines management for the secondary prevention of CHD .