Automated Hovering for Congestive Heart Failure Patients
Condition: Heart Failure
MeSH terms: Heart Failure
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Using a 2-arm, randomized controlled trial (RCT) among CHF patients at the University of
      Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS), to test the effectiveness of applying automated hovering
      to improve outcomes among CHF patients at high risk of readmission.
    

Detailed description: 
      Using a 2-arm, randomized, controlled trial (RCT) among congestive heart failure (CHF)
      patients at the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS), to test the effectiveness of
      applying automated hovering to improve outcomes among CHF patients at high risk of
      readmission. This will leverage the electronic medical record (EMR), the Penn Data Store (an
      electronic repository that can be used to identify study cohorts), and the NIH-funded Way to
      Health platform, which provides linkages between home-based remote monitoring devices and a
      server that can provide automated feedback to patients. The primary outcome will be hospital
      readmission rate during the 12 months of study enrollment. Secondary outcomes will include
      cost, medication adherence and death. The investigators will enroll CHF patients discharged
      from UPHS and randomize them to either: usual care with no additional intervention; or 1) the
      provision of wireless pill bottles and scales with daily lottery incentives to encourage
      daily adherence 2) asked to provide the name and contact information of a family member or
      friend to serve as their support partner 3) have their weights monitored for clinically
      significant threshold, with verified weight gains alerts sent to the managing physician
      through the EMR. Managing providers will also be sent a weekly report of all weight
      measurements from the electronic scale.
    

Intervention name(s): Electronic pill bottle; Bluetooth scale; Support Partner; Engagement incentives
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Participant adherence to their diuretic will be monitored on a daily basis and participants will be contacted if they are non-adherence to this medication; Participant adherence to stepping on their scale will be monitored on a daily basis and participants will be contacted if they are non-adherent to weighing-in. Participant weight gain will also be monitored, and if weight gain exceeds a specific threshold, the managing physician will be notified through the electronic medical record system. Managing providers will also be sent a weekly report of weight measurements.; Participants will identify a support partner who will be contacted if the participant is non-adherent to their diuretic and/or weighing-in.; Participants will be entered into a daily lottery, for which their participation is contingent on adhering to their diuretic and to weighing-in on the previous day.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Investigator)
Primary purpose: Health Services Research
Keywords: Remote monitoring; Incentives