A Personalized, Digital Coaching Program After Stroke (STROKECOACH)

Antwerp University Hospital (UZA)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Stroke, Ischemic

Treatments: Behavioral: Strokecoach.be - digital coaching program for stroke patients

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03038685

UHAntwerp

Details and patient eligibility

About

The Belgian Stroke Council initiated a project to improve risk factor control and medication adherence in ischemic stroke patients by developing an individualized in-hospital initiated and post- discharge, digital coaching program addition to standard practice (strokecoach.be).

Full description

The overall aim of this project is to further improve subacute and chronic stroke care in the Belgian context with main focus on the patients' quality of life, stroke recurrence and secondary cardiovascular prevention. Main focuses are on patient-empowerment, shared-decision making and health literacy, as these items are linked with better therapeutic adherence and self-care for chronic diseases.

In case of a positive result, implementation of this individualized chronic stroke care program executed by a personal stroke coach, initiated during hospitalization and using a web-based intervention program, can easily be unrolled in other Belgian stroke units. The program can be cost-effective if better clinical outcome, stroke recurrence rates, number of in-hospital consultations, number of rehospitalisations are reduced. This will be evaluated in a in-depth healt-economic analysis.

Enrollment: 148 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Patients with an acute ischemic stroke hospitalized at a participating stroke center can be included during hospitalisation if fulfilling following three criteria: - they will return back home or be discharged to a rehabilitation center

• have a life expectancy of more than 6 months
• have experience with internet use (at least weekly checking emails) or a caregiver accepts to help with the digital platform.

Exclusion criteria

• Age < 18 years
• Patients unable or unwilling to be followed post-discharge for 6 months
• Patients with a major neurologic post-stroke and no caregiver participation
• Cognitive impairment limiting use of digital platform and no caregiver participation

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

148 participants in 2 patient groups

prospective, multicenter cohort

Experimental group

Description:

A group of 175 patients will be recruited in 4 Belgian stroke centers during the six months period. All data will be collected prospectively and patients will be treated during six months period.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Strokecoach.be - digital coaching program for stroke patients

historical, single center cohort

No Intervention group

Description:

A historical cohort of Sint-Janhospital (2011 - Bruges, Belgium) with prospectively collected data will be used as comparator for the experimental arm. These data were published in Vanacker P, Couvreur T, Vanhooren G. Can we improve cerebrovascular risk reduction in real-life? A single centre's experience. Cerebrovasc Dis 2011;31(suppl 2):289