None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
This study aims to make people with heart failure feel stronger, improve their physical function, and keep them out of hospital. We hypothesise that a home-based nurse-coordinated program embedding resistance exercise and healthy eating advice will reduce hospital admission rates at 6 months and lead to improvements in frailty, physical functioning, and quality of life scores at 3 months in adults living with HF. Heart failure affects 1-2% of the Australian population, resulting in a significant number of hospital admissions and placing a huge burden on the NSW health system. Approximately half of those with heart failure will also develop frailty, a devastating syndrome of ‘accelerated ageing’, putting them at even greater risk of adverse events and hospitalisation. This project uses a randomised controlled trial study design to test whether a three-month comprehensive nurse-coordinated home-based exercise program can reduce hospital admissions for adults with heart failure and improve their frailty, physical function, and quality of life.
Interventions
Intervention: Usual care + the RESIST-HF intervention. The RESIST-HF intervention is a three-month nurse-coordinated home-based resistance band exercise program with regular telephone support for the first eight weeks, followed by four weeks of participant maintenance. After enrolment and randomisation, the research nurse will provide all intervention participants with a RESIST-HF intervention pack. The RESIST-HF pack will include:
• Three stretch resistance bands (light, medium and heavy resi
Intervention: Usual care + the RESIST-HF intervention. The RESIST-HF intervention is a three-month nurse-coordinated home-based resistance band exercise program with regular telephone support for the first eight weeks, followed by four weeks of participant maintenance. After enrolment and randomisation, the research nurse will provide all intervention participants with a RESIST-HF intervention pack. The RESIST-HF pack will include: • Three stretch resistance bands (light, medium and heavy resistance) • Exercise information cards with pictures and instructions for resistance band exercises, including seated or standing chest pulls and seated bicep curls. • Links to readily available YouTube resources. • A copy of the Heart Foundation resource ‘How to Eat Well for a Healthy Heart’ Participants will undertake the self-paced exercise program at home. Participants will be instructed to complete the resistance band exercises at least 2-3 times per week. Level intensity can be increased or changed by using a different resistance band level. The participant will self-report their intensity level (i.e., this will not be measured using an assessment tool). This study involves a home-based lifestyle intervention. All resistance band exercises can be performed at the participant's own pace at home and at their comfort level. All exercises are adaptable and can be performed in the chair if needed. Participants will be provided information about safety and steps to take should they feel dizzy or unwell, as per standard procedure when undertaking exercise. Telephone support: After the resistance band exercise program commences, the HF research nurses will follow up with the participant via weekly phone calls for eight weeks to provide support and guidance. The participant will then continue the intervention independently for four more weeks. Adherence: During the weekly telephone calls, the research nurse will ask the participants if they could follow the resistance band program this week, how often they have undertaken resistance band exercises in the past week and at what intensity level. Intervention fidelity will be maintained by shared training sessions for the HF research nurses delivering the intervention. Before the study commencement, the research nurses at each site will all undergo an online training course (6 hours duration) accredited by Physical Activity Australia regarding using resistance bands for older adults. The research nurses will also have regular meetings with the Accredited Exercise Physiologist study investigators and Coordinating Principal Investigator in the study to improve their knowledge in delivering supportive exercise programs.
Sponsors
Dr Julee McDonagh, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Adults with diagnosed heart failure who present to an outpatient heart failure clinic at the study sites
Exclusion criteria
• <18 years of age. • Non-independent living (i.e. high-care residential aged care). • Listed for heart transplantation. • Unstable coronary artery disease and/or scheduled for cardiac surgery within the next 3 months. • On end-of-life care measures/ palliative care.
Outcome results
None listed