PP316 Efficacy And Usability Of eHealth Technologies In Stroke Survivors For Improvement Of Self-Management: Clinical Trial

Abstract

Introduction

Stroke is a leading cause of severe and long-term disability in developed countries. Around 15 million people suffer a stroke each year, most due to modifiable risk factors. Several reviews have shown that interventions mediating eHealth technologies can reduce the risk of suffering a stroke episode, improving the control of risk factors; nevertheless, all of them conclude that new and well-designed studies are needed.

Methods

We performed a prospective, randomized, parallel group and open, pilot trial. The study was carried out based on an initial sample of forty-three patients between 18 and 80 years old who have had an ischemic stroke. The control group got conventional treatment and the intervention group got conventional treatment and the assistance of STARR (the Decision SupporT and self-mAnagement system for stRoke survivoRs), as well as commercial wearables. The principal variable of the study was to evaluate the usability of the decision support system.

Results

At month nine, the average score on the System Usability Scale in the intervention group was 64.7 and in month 12, 67.4, exceeding in both cases the margin of acceptability (50) and in the limit of “good” (68). When we analyzed clinical factors (systolic/diastolic blood pressure) as well as the analytical parameters related to prevention of reinfarction, we observed that the intervention group had good control of blood pressure and better analytical parameters, compared to the control group.

Conclusions

Technological support allowed participants to feel comfortable using the devices as well as resolving technical incidences by themselves after a training period. The self-management platform can be efficient in stroke survivors’ management of their disease condition, improving analytical and clinical parameters, which eventually can influence a decrease in associated comorbidities and, therefore, improvement of the disease. However, it should be noted that this type of platform is not useful for every patient profile, and studies in this regard should be expanded.