Automated E-Counseling for Chronic Heart Failure: CHF-CePPORT Trial

International task force statements advocate telehealth programs to promote health-related quality of life for patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). To that end, we evaluated the efficacy and usability of an automated e-counseling program. This Canadian multi-site double-blind randomized trial assessed whether usual care plus either internet-based e-counseling (motivational and cognitive-behavioral tools for CHF self-care) or e-based conventional CHF self-care education (e-UC) improved 12-month Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Overall Summary (KCCQ-OS). Secondary outcomes included program engagement (total logon weeks, logons, and logon hours), total CHF self-care behaviors, diet (fruit and vegetable servings), 6-minute walk test, and 4-day step count. The association between program engagement and health-related quality of life was assessed using KCCQ-OS tertiles. We enrolled 231 patients, median age =59.5 years, 22% female, and elevated median KCCQ-OS=83.0 (interquartile range, 68-93). KCCQ-OS increase ≥5 points was not more prevalent for e-counseling, n=29 (29.6%) versus e-UC, n=32 (34.0%), =0.51. E-Counseling versus e-UC increased total logon weeks ( =0.02), logon hours ( =0.001), and logons (