Patient-Centered Adherence Intervention After Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) Hospitalization (MEDICATION)

April 6, 2015 updated by: US Department of Veterans Affairs

Patient-Centered Adherence Intervention After ACS Hospitalization

We propose to test the effectiveness of a multi-faceted patient-centered adherence intervention among veterans following ACS hospitalization to improve adherence to cardioprotective medications (primary aim). Secondary aims will assess whether the intervention improves achievement of secondary prevention blood pressure (BP) and low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol goals, reduces cardiac endpoints (myocardial infarction ) MI hospitalization, coronary revascularization, all-cause mortality) and is cost-effective.

ANTICIPATED IMPACT(S) : If successful, the proposed intervention will increase adherence to cardioprotective medications (i.e., -blockers, statins, clopidogrel, and ACE inhibitors) by helping veterans take their medications routinely as prescribed, the quality of cardiovascular care for veterans by helping patients achieve BP and LDL goals which have been associated with improved outcomes, and the efficiency of care by using telephone calls and tele-monitoring for communication with patients rather than clinic visits. The findings of the study will address an important gap in knowledge (i.e., how to improve adherence to medications following ACS discharge) and will be generalizable to other VA Medical Centers and veterans.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Detailed Description

RATIONALE: Acute coronary syndrome, including acute myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the leading causes of hospitalization for veterans. Recent advances in the treatment of acute MI have led to declines in hospital mortality. Despite this, the risk of recurrent events and mortality after the index MI hospitalization remains substantial in the following year. Non-adherence to proven cardioprotective medications is a potentially modifiable risk factor that contributes to the persistently high risk of adverse outcomes following MI hospitalization. Prior interventions to improve medication adherence in cardiovascular populations have produced mixed results and have not specifically targeted patients after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) hospital discharge. It is currently unknown if interventions targeting medication non-adherence in the year after ACS discharge will improve medication adherence and intermediate outcomes or will be cost-effective

OBJECTIVE(S): We propose to test the effectiveness of a multi-faceted patient-centered adherence intervention among veterans following ACS hospitalization to improve adherence to cardioprotective medications (primary aim). Secondary aims will assess whether the intervention improves achievement of secondary prevention blood pressure (BP) and LDL-cholesterol goals, reduces cardiac endpoints (MI hospitalization, coronary revascularization, all-cause mortality) and is cost-effective.

METHODS: We propose a 3-year, multi-site patient-level randomized controlled trial to evaluate, relative to usual care, a multi-faceted patient-centered intervention to improve adherence to cardioprotective medication among veterans following ACS hospital discharge. The study will enroll 280 patients to intervention versus usual care for 12-months at 3 VA Medical Centers (Eastern Colorado, Pudget Sound, and Central Arkansas). The proposed intervention will be based on several conceptual frameworks (Chronic Care Model and Medication Adherence Model) and adapt elements of prior successfully adherence interventions, including: collaborative care, patient education, tailoring of medication regimens, and tele-monitoring. The primary analyses will be a comparison of adherence to cardioprotective medications using pharmacy refill records based on the ReCOMP adherence measure developed in the VA. Secondary analyses will compare achievement of secondary prevention BP and LDL goals and cardiac events. In addition, cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed. All analyses will be intention to treat

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

253

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

    • Arkansas
      • Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, 72205-5484
        • Central Arkansas VHS John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital, Little Rock, AR
    • Colorado
      • Denver, Colorado, United States, 80220
        • VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Denver, CO
    • North Carolina
      • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27705
        • Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC
    • Washington
      • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98108
        • VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle

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

18 years to 90 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

All patients admitted with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) as the primary reason for hospital admission and use the VA for their usual source of care, defined as having 1 primary care visit within the 12 months prior to hospital admission will be screened for eligibility to participate. ACS is defined as acute myocardial infarction (both ST-elevation MI and non-ST elevation MI) or unstable angina. The presence of acute myocardial infarction will be defined using standard definitions from an international consensus statement, based on the following: a rise and/or fall of cardiac biomarkers (preferably troponin) with at least one value above the 99th percentile of the upper reference limit and at least one of the following:

  • symptoms of ischemia;
  • ECG change indicative of new ischemia (new ST-T changes or new left bundle branch block);
  • development of pathological Q waves in the ECG; or
  • imaging evidence of new loss of viable myocardium or new regional wall motion abnormality.42 Unstable angina will be defined by presence of ischemic symptoms and ECG changes indicative of new ischemia but without biomarker evidence of myonecrosis (i.e., biomarker elevation) and no evidence of new pathological Q waves, loss of viable myocardium or regional wall motion abnormality.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patient admitted for primary non-cardiac diagnosis and develop ACS as a secondary condition (e.g. perioperative MI);
  • planned discharge to nursing home or skilled nursing facility;
  • irreversible, non-cardiac medical condition (e.g. metastatic cancer) likely to affect 6-month survival or ability to execute study protocol;
  • lack of telephone/cell phone;
  • VA is not primary source of care;
  • regularly fill medications at non-VA pharmacy.

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

  • Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Arm 1
The multi-faceted patient centered intervention will adapt elements of prior successfully adherence interventions and include the following core components: collaborative care (between pharmacists, primary care providers, and cardiologists), patient education (tailored to patient needs and provided on a regular ongoing basis), tailoring of medication regimens (i.e., simplification of dosing, use of pill boxes, synchronization of refill dates), and tele-monitoring via IVR technology as well as patient-specific aides based on identified needs.
The multi-faceted patient centered intervention will adapt elements of prior successfully adherence interventions and include the following core components: collaborative care (between pharmacists, primary care providers, and cardiologists), patient education (tailored to patient needs and provided on a regular ongoing basis), tailoring of medication regimens (i.e., simplification of dosing, use of pill boxes, synchronization of refill dates), and tele-monitoring via IVR technology as well as patient-specific aides based on identified needs.
Active Comparator: Arm 2
Patients will receive usual care following ACS hospital discharge
Usual care following ACS hospital discharge.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Adherence to Cardioprotective Medications (Clopidogrel, Statins, Beta Blockers, ACE-inhibitor/ARB)
Time Frame: 12-months
The primary outcome was the proportion of patients who were adherent to cardioprotective medications (beta-blockers, statins, clopidogrel, and ACE/ARB) in the year following ACS hospitalization.
12-months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Michael Ho, MD PhD, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Denver, CO

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

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

July 1, 2010

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2013

Study Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 13, 2009

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 14, 2009

First Posted (Estimate)

May 15, 2009

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

April 27, 2015

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 6, 2015

Last Verified

September 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

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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