HOW CAN WE UTILIZE DIGITAL MEDIA FOR ASCVD PREVENTION? A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Therapeutic Area

CVD Prevention – Primary and Secondary

Background

The growing complexity of cardiology, higher patient volumes, and increasing administrative/charting demands pose challenges for providers to spend valuable clinic time on educating patients sufficiently about Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD). We performed a prospective randomized controlled trial to determine if using an animated video in the clinical setting to educate patients about cardiac anatomy and pathophysiology is an effective method of ASCVD prevention.

Methods

This study took place in a busy cardiology clinic within a teaching hospital in New York City. Patients with traditional risk factors for ASCVD were asked to participate if they were >18 years, and understood English or Spanish. Willing participants were randomized to either the intervention or control, “usual-care”, cohort. Both cohorts were asked to complete a pre-visit questionnaire regarding coronary artery disease (CAD), physical activity, and patient satisfaction before their scheduled clinical encounter. Only the intervention cohort was then shown a novel, 3.5-minute animated video via tablet that illustrates anatomy and pathophysiology of CAD. Next, all participants completed their clinical encounter with their cardiologist, and finally were asked to complete a post-visit questionnaire which was identical to the pre-visit version.

Results

A total of 48 participants were enrolled in this study, 23 in the control (usual care) cohort and 25 in the intervention cohort. Baseline demographic characteristics are summarized in Table 1. The average score on the 5-point Likert scale of the pre-visit questionnaire for the intervention cohort was 3.81, and post-visit improved to 4.64 (average change of 0.96 points, p=0.003). The average score of the pre-visit questionnaire for the control cohort was 3.68, and post-visit score was 3.73 (average change of 0.05 points, p=0.19).

Results:

Conclusions

This pilot study demonstrates that digital media, in conjunction with the clinical encounter, is more effective in bolstering peoples’ knowledge of ASCVD risk, improving attitudes towards their provider and increasing patient satisfaction, compared to usual care. The positive results suggest the need for more prospective studies to evaluate the efficacy of utilizing digital media to deliver patient education and prevent cardiovascular disease.