28 Mobile health biometrics to prescribe immediate remote physical activity for enhancing uptake to cardiac rehabilitation (MOTIVATE-CR+): protocol for a randomised controlled feasibility trial

BackgroundCardiac Rehabilitation (CR) can reduce cardiovascular mortality and improve health related quality of life. In the United Kingdom patient uptake of CR remains low (52%), falling well short of the target in the 2019 NHS Long-term plan (85%). Mobile health (mHealth) technologies, offering biometric data to patients and healthcare professionals, may bridge the gap between patient discharge from hospital and in-person supervised exercise and physical activity (PA) advice. Early intervention could lead to improved CR uptake and enable patients to engage in regular long-term physically active lifestyles quicker.AimThis randomised controlled trial (RCT) will evaluate the feasibility of mHealth technology when incorporated into a structured home-based walking intervention, in people with recent myocardial infarction.MethodsThis is a feasibility, assessor blinded, parallel group RCT. Participants will be allocated to either CR standard care (control group) or CR standard care + mHealth supported exercise counselling (mHealth group) (figure 1). The trial was approved in the UK by the Northwest – Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee (22/NW/0301) and is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05774587. Feasibility outcomes include; the number of patients approached, screened and eligible; the percentage of patients that decline CR (including reasons), agree to CR and consent to being part of the study; the percentage of patients that enroll in standard CR and reasons for drop out; and the percentage of participants that complete clinical, physical and psychosocial outcomes to identify a suitable primary outcome for a future definitive trial. Device derived data will be downloaded using manufacturers’ software and processed in R (R Core Team,Vienna, Austria) using the open-source GGIR software package (http://cran.r-project.org). Qualitative data will be thematically analyzed and coded using NVivo V.12TM software.Abstract 28 Figure 1Schematic of the experimental design. Abbreviations: CR; cardiac rehabilitation, n; number, CS; counselling session[Figure omitted. See PDF]Strengths and limitationsThe MOTIVATE-CR+ intervention may increase the uptake of CR by supporting patients to become physically active between discharge and the start of supervised CR and allowing patients that recently experienced a myocardial infarction to co-design a personalized and progressive walking programme with the support of a clinical exercise physiologist. The intervent