Mion Marco, Lilja Gisela, Bohm Mattias, Nordström Erik Blennow, Töniste Dorit, Heimburg Katarina, Swindell Paul, Dankiewicz Josef, Skrifvars Markus B, Nielsen Niklas, Jakobsen Janus C, White Judith, Wise Matt P, Gorgoraptis Nikos, Keenan Meadbh, Hopkins Philip, Pareek Nilesh, Maccaroni Maria, Keeble Thomas R
Essex Cardiothoracic Centre, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, Basildon SS16 5NL, UK.
Anglia Ruskin School of Medicine and MTRC, Chelmsford CM1 1SQ, UK.
J Clin Med. 2025 Jun 22;14(13):4429. doi: 10.3390/jcm14134429.
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, we investigate the feasibility and patient acceptability of a new virtual psychoeducational group intervention for OHCA survivors and their relatives and compare it to a control group receiving a digital information booklet. V-CARE is a comparative, single-blind randomized pilot trial including participants at selected sites of the STEPCARE trial, in the United Kingdom and Sweden. Inclusion criteria are a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) ≤ 3 at 30-day follow-up; no diagnosis of dementia; and not experiencing an acute psychiatric episode. One caregiver per patient is invited to participate optionally. The intervention group in V-CARE receives four semi-structured, one-hour-long, psychoeducational sessions delivered remotely via video call by a trained clinician once a week, 2-3 months after hospital discharge. The sessions cover understanding cardiac arrest; coping with fatigue and memory problems; managing low mood and anxiety; and returning to daily life. The control group receives an information booklet focused on fatigue, memory/cognitive problems, mental health, and practical coping strategies. Primary: feasibility (number of patients consented) and acceptability (retention rate); secondary: satisfaction with care (Client Satisfaction Questionnaire 8 item), self-management skills (Self-Management Assessment Scale) and, where available, health-related outcomes assessed in the STEPCARE Extended Follow-up sub-study including cognition, fatigue, mood, quality of life, and return to work. If preliminary insights from the V-CARE trial suggest the intervention to be feasible and acceptable, the results will be used to design a larger trial aimed at informing future interventions to support OHCA recovery.
院外心脏骤停（OHCA）幸存者及其亲属在出院后可能会面临与情绪、认知以及恢复日常活动相关的挑战。已确定的研究空白包括缺乏关于哪种干预措施最有助于顺利康复的知识。在本研究中，我们调查了一种针对OHCA幸存者及其亲属的新型虚拟心理教育小组干预措施的可行性和患者接受度，并将其与接受数字信息手册的对照组进行比较。V-CARE是一项对比性、单盲随机试点试验，包括英国和瑞典STEPCARE试验选定地点的参与者。纳入标准为30天随访时改良Rankin量表（mRS）≤3；无痴呆诊断；且未经历急性精神发作。每位患者可邀请一名护理人员自愿参与。V-CARE干预组在出院后2至3个月，由一名经过培训的临床医生通过视频通话每周远程进行一次，共四次半结构化、每次时长一小时的心理教育课程。课程内容包括了解心脏骤停；应对疲劳和记忆问题；管理情绪低落和焦虑；以及回归日常生活。对照组收到一本关于疲劳、记忆/认知问题、心理健康和实际应对策略的信息手册。主要指标：可行性（同意参与的患者数量）和接受度（保留率）；次要指标：对护理的满意度（客户满意度问卷8项）、自我管理技能（自我管理评估量表），以及在STEPCARE扩展随访子研究中评估的健康相关结果（如可用），包括认知、疲劳、情绪、生活质量和重返工作岗位。如果V-CARE试验的初步见解表明该干预措施可行且可接受，研究结果将用于设计一项更大规模的试验，旨在为未来支持OHCA康复的干预措施提供信息。
