Education and Supportive Partners Improving Self-Care (ENSPIRE)

November 9, 2015 updated by: Sandra B. Dunbar, RN, Emory University

A Family Partnership Intervention in Heart Failure

The purpose of the Education and Supportive Partners Improving Self-Care (ENSPIRE) study is to compare the effect of a Family Partnership Intervention (FPI) over patient and family education and usual heart failure care on physical and mental health outcomes over an 8-month period. The study will examine three ways of giving heart failure patients and their family members information. This study will help scientists determine if learning these communication skills will help people with heart failure to better manage their symptoms and improve their health outcomes.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Heart failure is a condition where the heart's pumping ability is reduced, causing shortness of breath, fatigue, fluid-weight gain, and swelling in the abdomen or legs among other symptoms. HF patients can learn to manage their diet, exercise, and medications to reduce these symptoms. Research has shown that people who learn communication skills that involve problem solving and support are often more successful at maintaining lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise, than those who do not receive this type of training. Routine heart failure care varies, but usually includes patient education about medications and a low sodium diet to prevent fluid buildup and dietary fluid restriction. This study will help advance the scientific understanding of how to best influence and sustain recommended lifestyle changes for HF patients.

The study will investigate three ways of giving HF patients and their family members information. The first method is routine HF care; this serves as the control group. The second method adds a patient and family HF education protocol to routine HF care, and the third method adds a Family Partnership Intervention (FPI). The FPI is an experimental procedure that involves discussion and training in ways to improve communication within families. The study takes place over the course of a year. Two hundred sixty two people and their family members will be asked to participate from Emory, Crawford Long, the VA Medical Center and Grady Healthcare System.

Procedures:

All groups will participate in the following activities:

  • Complete questionnaires at start of study, then 4 and 8 months afterward (3 times)
  • Keep four appointments lasting 1- 4 hours at the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) located at Emory or Grady Hospital
  • Collect 24-hour urine specimens, one at the start of the study, then 4 and 8 months afterward (3 times)
  • Keep a 3-day food record, writing down everything you eat and drink, starting two days before each 24-hour urine collection (3 times)
  • Use a medication monitoring system attached to the bottle cap of your heart failure medications
  • Take a six-minute walk test in which you walk for up to six minutes at the start of study and then 4 and 8 months afterward (3 times)
  • Provide blood samples for Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) levels to determine the level of heart failure present at the start of the study and then 4 and 8 months afterward (3 times)

In addition to the above activities, you will be assigned to one of three groups by a computer program. There is a one in three chance of being in any given group.

First Method: The first group will receive routine HF care in addition to participating in the activities listed above.

Second Method: The second group will attend two HF education classes with their family member and with a registered nurse and dietician in addition to routine HF care and participating in the activities listed above. An educational HF newsletter will be sent and subjects will receive two telephone calls by an RN at two weeks and five months after start of the study (1 time for newsletter and two phone calls).

Third Method: The third group will attend patient and family HF education classes and support group meetings with their family member in addition to routine HF care and participating in the activities listed above. An educational HF newsletter with additional information about building Family Partnerships will be sent and an RN will call at two weeks and five months after start of the study (1 time for newsletter and two phone calls).

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

170

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Georgia
      • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30322
        • Emory University Hospital
      • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30308
        • Crawford Long Hospital
      • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30303
        • Grady Hospital
      • Decatur, Georgia, United States, 30033
        • Atlanta Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

21 years to 79 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Documented diagnosis of heart failure (New York Heart Association [NYHA] Class II or III)
  • Aged 21-79
  • Currently taking angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and diuretic medications
  • Recommended to exercise and low sodium diet
  • Willing to participate in educational sessions with a family member
  • Willing to spend a minimum of 9 hours and a maximum of 15 hours over an 8-month period
  • Willing to travel to either Emory University Hospital or Grady Memorial Hospital General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) for study activities

Exclusion Criteria:

  • NYHA Class I or IV heart failure
  • Heart attack within the last 6 months
  • Kidney failure
  • Significant angina/chest pain
  • Inability to read and write English

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Usual Care Attention Control
Usual care with provision of supplemental printed educational material on HF self care
Usual care with provision of printed educational material, provided once at baseline
Other Names:
  • Usual Care Attention Control
Experimental: Group 2 Patient Family Education PFE
Patient Family Education PFE Heart Failure Patients and family member dyads were provided with an educational and counseling session, and attended a 2 hour patient-family education session on heart failure self management with emphasis on dietary sodium and medication taking behaviors.
Usual care with provision of printed educational material, provided once at baseline
Other Names:
  • Usual Care Attention Control
HF Patient and one family member receive structured education sessions one month after enrollment.Two sessions, one indivdual with patient-family member dyad after baseline, and one in a group setting between 2-3 months after baseline. The group session was 2 hours in duration. Telephone counseling for the dyad ast 5-6 months, mailed newsletters at Mailed newsletters at 5-6 months.
Other Names:
  • Patient Family Education PFE
Experimental: Group 3 Family Partnership Intervention
Patient and family member received one individual dyadic education/counseling session, and two group sessions focused on developing family approaches to HF self management. the emphasis of the two group sessions was on developing autonomy supportive approaches to family support.
Usual care with provision of printed educational material, provided once at baseline
Other Names:
  • Usual Care Attention Control
HF Patient and one family member receive structured education sessions one month after enrollment.Two sessions, one indivdual with patient-family member dyad after baseline, and one in a group setting between 2-3 months after baseline. The group session was 2 hours in duration. Telephone counseling for the dyad ast 5-6 months, mailed newsletters at Mailed newsletters at 5-6 months.
Other Names:
  • Patient Family Education PFE
HF patient and family receive structured patient and family education sessions plus intervention to improve family communication one month after enrollment.Patient and family member received one individual dyadic education/counseling session after baseline data collection, and two group sessions (2-3 months after baseline) focused on developing family approaches to HF self management.Telephone counseling for the dyad and reinforcing mailed newsletters at 5-6 months after baseline.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Adherence to dietary sodium and medication taking behavior
Time Frame: 4 and 8 months after baseline enrollment.
4 and 8 months after baseline enrollment.
Physical status: 6-minute walk and brain natriuretic peptide
Time Frame: 4 and 8 months after baseline enrollment.
4 and 8 months after baseline enrollment.
Psychological status: depressive symptoms
Time Frame: 4 and 8 months after baseline enrollment.
4 and 8 months after baseline enrollment.
Health related quality of life
Time Frame: 4 and 8 months after baseline enrollment.
4 and 8 months after baseline enrollment.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Health resource utilization (HRUQ)
Time Frame: 4 and 8 months after baseline enrollment.
4 and 8 months after baseline enrollment.
Autonomy support (AS)
Time Frame: 4 and 8 months after baseline enrollment.
4 and 8 months after baseline enrollment.
Perceived family criticism
Time Frame: 4 and 8 months after baseline enrollment.
4 and 8 months after baseline enrollment.
Knowledge
Time Frame: 4 and 8 months after baseline enrollment.
4 and 8 months after baseline enrollment.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Sandra B. Dunbar, RN, DSN, Emory University School of Nursing

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

April 1, 2005

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2011

Study Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 31, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 12, 2005

First Posted (Estimate)

September 14, 2005

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

November 11, 2015

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 9, 2015

Last Verified

September 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IRB00045870
  • R01NR008800 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • 1R01NR008800-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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