None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The SMART-AF trial is a single-centre, randomized controlled study evaluating an AI-powered educational platform for patients newly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. Participants are randomized 1:1 to receive either standard care or access to a structured online curriculum and chatbot designed to improve AF-related knowledge. The primary outcome is the improvement in patients’ AF knowledge, assessed through validated questionnaires before and after the intervention. Secondary outcomes include changes in quality of life, symptoms, lifestyle measures, and anxiety and depression. The study aims to recruit 158 participants over 9 months, with follow-up assessments completed within 12 weeks.
Interventions
The intervention involves access to an online platform (HelloAlfred.ai) for a duration of 12 weeks. Participants will be given access to the website through unique usernames and temporary passwords, generated upon registration of the single patient onto the platform by study investigators.
The platform includes:
a) A structured 12-module educational program focused on atrial fibrillation (AF), developed and validated by a team of clinicians in accordance with current international guidelines (e
The intervention involves access to an online platform (HelloAlfred.ai) for a duration of 12 weeks. Participants will be given access to the website through unique usernames and temporary passwords, generated upon registration of the single patient onto the platform by study investigators. The platform includes: a) A structured 12-module educational program focused on atrial fibrillation (AF), developed and validated by a team of clinicians in accordance with current international guidelines (especially ACC/HRS/AHA and ESC guidelines for diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation). These modules cover key topics related to AF, including causes, symptoms, importance of risk factors and lifestyle modification, stroke prevention, rate and rhythm control medications, cardioversion, catheter ablation, and long-term management. Education is delivered mainly through written materials and short animations and is reinforced after each module through brief 3-question quizzes. Each module five to fifteen minutes to read thoroughly. b) An AI-powered conversational chatbot designed to respond to users’ questions about AF. The chatbot provides evidence-based information by retrieving content from peer-reviewed, clinically validated documents uploaded to the platform. Study investigators will review responses at least once weekly to ensure that interactions are accurate. All content is delivered digitally, and participants can access the materials at their convenience throughout the 12-week intervention period. App analytics will be available to study investigators to monitor adherence to intervention, thanks to special admin rights within the website itself,
Sponsors
Centre of Heart Rhythm Disorders - University of Adelaide
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Educational / counselling / training
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 90 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
- All patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation - Able and willing to give informed consent. - Able to speak, write and read English with varied literacy levels. - Able to type and use an electronic device (phone, app, computer/laptop)
Exclusion criteria
- Patient unwilling to participate. - No internet access or unable to use electronic devices. - Severe co existing comorbidities (advanced heart failure with NYHA class IV, end stage renal disease and/or on dialysis, acute stroke). - Patients with cognitive impairment that would limit their ability to interact with the educational curriculum or AI bot - Visual/auditory impairment that would prevent their interactions with the platform
Outcome results
None listed