The AppCare-HF randomized clinical trial: a feasibility study of a novel self-care support mobile app for individuals with chronic heart failure

Figure 1. Flowchart of the study. EHFScB-12: the 12-item version of the European Heart Failure Self-Care Behaviour Scale, SF-8: Short Form-8 Health Survey.

Figure 2. Overview of the self-care support system for individuals with chronic heart failure using the novel mobile app.

Figure 3. Interface of the novel mobile app for patients with chronic HF. (A) Menu icons are listed with simplified messages (upper side) to guide the patient’s daily self-care on the display of the app. (B) Self-monitoring icons that should be recorded in the morning are listed on the app. Top: Sleep, daily salt intake, body weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and meal pictures or contents (from the left). Bottom: Body temperature, oxygen saturation, HF-related symptoms or signs, and medications (from the left). (C) The patient inputs his or her body weight value in the app.

Figure 4. Physical activity [step count (A) and movement-related calorie consumption, i.e. MCC (B)] and dietary salt intake (C) at baseline and at 2 months in the intervention group (n = 13) and control group (n = 11). The daily physical activity and salt intake at baseline were evaluated for ≥7 days before the study and for the first 7 days of the study period, respectively. At 2 months, the patients’ daily physical activity and salt intake were evaluated for the last 7 days of the 2 month study period. Because of a lack of data, one patient in the intervention group was eliminated from the analysis of physical activity. N.S., not significant.

Figure 5. Self-care behaviour (A), HF Knowledge Scale (B), General Self-Efficacy Scale (C), and health-related QoL scores (D) at baseline and at 2 months in the intervention group (n = 13) and control group (n = 11). Because of a lack of data, one patient in the control group was eliminated from the SF-8 analysis. MCS, mental component summary; PCS, physical component summary; SF-8, Short Form-8 Health Survey.