Role of patient education in the perception and acceptance of home monitoring after recent implantation of cardioverter defibrillators: The EDUCAT study

Summary Background Much attention is being paid to the education of and provision of medical information to patients, to optimize their understanding and acceptance of their disease. Aims To ascertain the impact of educating recent recipients of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) on their perception and acceptance of a home monitoring (HM) system. Methods Questionnaire 1, completed one month after ICD implantation, was designed to assess: the quality of patient preparation for HM; patient comprehension of HM; and patient anxiety experienced during its installation. The comprehension questions were assigned a score of –2 for an incorrect answer, +1 for a correct answer and 0 for neither (total score ranging from –40 to +20). Questionnaire 2, completed six months after ICD implantation, assessed patient acceptance of and anxiety about HM. Results The registry included 571 patients (mean age 63.9 ± 12.8 years; 83% men; 76% of ICDs implanted for primary prevention) followed by HM for 6.2 ± 1.2 months. Questionnaire 1 was completed by 430 (75.3%) patients and questionnaire 2 by 398 (69.7%) patients. Younger patients had a better comprehension of HM than older patients. High-quality training conditions improved the comprehension score, and a positive association was observed between anxiety and acceptance levels and the comprehension score. The 80 ± 20% mean data transmission rate (days of transmission/days of follow-up ratio) was unrelated to the comprehension scores. Conclusion A clear understanding was associated with a higher acceptance of HM, although it was unrelated to the data transmission rate.