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V-CARE (Virtual Care After REsuscitation)
Sponsor: Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Summary
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors and their relatives may face challenges following hospital discharge, relating to mood, cognition, and returning to normal day-to-day activities. Identified research gaps include a lack of knowledge around what type of intervention is needed to best navigate recovery. In this study, the feasibility and patient acceptability of a new virtual psychoeducational group intervention for OHCA survivors and their relatives are evaluated and compared with those of a control group receiving a digital information booklet.
Official title: V-CARE (Virtual Care After REsuscitation): Protocol for a Randomized Feasibility Study of a Virtual Psychoeducational Intervention After Cardiac Arrest-A STEPCARE Sub-Study
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
50
Start Date
2024-08-01
Completion Date
2026-09
Last Updated
2026-03-27
Healthy Volunteers
No
Interventions
Virtual Care After REsuscitation
The V-CARE programme involves 4 structured sessions, one a week, each lasting around one hour, supported by PowerPoint presentations. The content focuses on providing education on cardiac arrest and secondary prevention, addressing practical problems (for instance, returning to driving, travelling, living with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), etc.) and understanding/coping with fatigue, cognitive changes, and psychological difficulties. Group size will usually be between 4 and 12 participants.
Digital Information Leaflet
This intervention, co-developed with a patient group, consists of an information booklet focused on providing information and coping strategies for fatigue, memory, low mood, anxiety, and cognitive problems after a cardiac arrest. Whereas the content is similar to that covered in the V-CARE arm, these patients are not included in a group and as such do not have access to peer support or to guided discussions and reflections as provided in the group setting. In this intervention arm, tolerability will be assessed by the proportion of participants who complete the post-intervention outcome measures; additionally, participants will be asked to self-report whether they read or used the booklet.
Locations (1)
Essex Cardiothoracic Centre
Basildon, Essex, United Kingdom