About the project
Patients with atrial fibrillation experience symptoms such as palpitations, fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pains, sleeping difficulties, anxiety and are at increased risk of developing blood clots. Knowledge of atrial fibrillation and management of one’s own disease are key factors that contribute to the patients being better informed and more involved. At present, however, there are no rehabilitation programs for patients with atrial fibrillation.
Through co-creation, we have developed a telerehabilitation program based on the HjertePortalen.dk web portal, which receives information on their measurements of blood pressure, heart rate, steps, sleep and heart rhythm transmitted from the patient’s home.
The purpose of this study is the following:
- To investigate whether telerehabilitation can provide persons with atrial fibrillation and their relatives improved quality of life and better understanding of their disease
- To investigate how anxiety and depression affect patients with atrial fibrillation in their rehabilitation
- To investigate the sense of motivation for participation in a telerehabilitation program
- To investigate the burden of feeling atrial fibrillation in patients
- To investigate perspectives for participation in a telerehabilitation program among patients with atrial fibrillation, their relatives and health professionals
- To carry out a health economic evaluation of the telerehabilitation program for patients with atrial fibrillation
- To analyse patterns in the clinical data
- To develop proposals for the infrastructure for use of wearables for heart patients
Co-creation
With the help of co-creation, we have collaborated with patients, their relatives, health professionals, companies and researchers and adapted Hjerteportalen.dk for persons with atrial fibrillation and their relatives.
Target group
The target group is patients over the age of 18, diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, and who reside in Viborg, Skive or Silkeborg municipalities
Partners in the project
- Viborg-, Skive & Silkeborg Health Centers
- Cardiology Department & Cardiac Clinic, Regional Hospital Viborg, Skive and Silkeborg
- Danish Heart Association
- Institute for Photonics, Denmark’s Technical University
- Department of Psychology, Aarhus University
- Laboratory for Welfare Technology, Department of Medicine and Health Technology, Aalborg University
International collaborating partners
- Nancy M. Albert, PhD, FAAN, Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Office of Nursing Research and Innovation, Cleveland Clinic Health System, and Clinical Nurse Specialist, Kaufman Center for Heart Failure, Cleveland Clinic, USA
- Dan Atar, PhD, Professor of Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Head of Research, Division of Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Visiting Associate Professor at The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA and Secretary/Treasurer of the ESC
- Lien Desteghe, MSc, PhD, Postdoctoral researcher, Hasselt University – Jessa Hospital, Antwerp University, Belgium
- Hiroyuki Daida, MD, PhD, Professor of Cardiology and Dean, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan
Funding
In the pilot phase, the research project is funded by the Aage and Johanne Louis-Hansen Foundation, the Innovation Fund Region Midt, the Animation Pool of Viborg Municipality, and with co-financing from Aalborg University.
In the second phase, the study is financed by The Danish Heart Association, Snedkermester Sophus Jacobsen og hustru Astrid Jacobsens Fond through The Danish Heart Association, Region Midt and the other partners in the study.
Contact
Professor Birthe Dinesen
Email: bid@hst.aau.dk