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

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.