Transitional Telehealth Home Care: REACH

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Post Cardiac Surgery; Congenital Heart Disease

Treatments: Behavioral: Daily Messages, Virtual Home Visits; Other: Usual Care

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT01941667

11-008246

Details and patient eligibility

About

The investigators want to determine if additional, increased contact with infants and families discharged to home after cardiac surgery improves infant and parent outcomes as compared to usual care.

Full description

The investigators want to compare videoconferencing (SKYPE or FACTIME) and a monitoring system called Buddy Check is helpful. Buddy Check is a web-based tool using speech and internet technology to maintain contact with the health care team.

Infants are randomized to usual care or the intervention which uses automated daily phone calls and 2 virtual home visits each week. Weights, oxygen levels, and amount of food taken are obtained by the primary caregiver (parent) daily and sent via automated phone call, text message or email messages based on primary caregiver's desired.

Enrollment: 218 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 2 weeks to 5 months old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Cardiac surgery within 2.5 weeks of life,
• Diagnosis of congenital heart disease,
• Post menstrual age 37 weeks and older;
• Minimum birth weight 2500 grams,
• At least one parent speaks and reads English,
• Anticipated discharge by 21 days of life

Exclusion criteria

• Cardiomyopathy,
• Diagnosis of Genetic syndrome

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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218 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Daily Messages, virtual home visits

Experimental group

Description:

Intervention includes: Measuring daily weights, 24 hour intake, heart rate, oxygen level Daily messages requesting weight, intake, pulse ox and pulse are automated Virtual home visits occur twice weekly where the investigators see the infant and families.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Daily Messages, Virtual Home Visits

Usual Care

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Infants will have usual care as defined by cardiology.

Treatment:

Other: Usual Care