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V-CARE (Virtual Care After REsuscitation): Protocol for a Randomized Feasibility Study of a Virtual Psychoeducational Intervention After Cardiac Arrest—A STEPCARE Sub-Study

Mion, Marco ; Lilja, Gisela LU ; Bohm, Mattias LU orcid ; Blennow Nordström, Erik LU orcid ; Töniste, Dorit LU ; Heimburg, Katarina LU ; Swindell, Paul ; Dankiewicz, Josef LU orcid ; Skrifvars, Markus B. and Nielsen, Niklas LU , et al. (2025) In Journal of Clinical Medicine 14(13).
Abstract
Background: 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.

Methods: 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.... (More)
Background: 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.

Methods: 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.

Results: 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.

Conclusions: 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. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Background: 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.

Methods: 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.... (More)
Background: 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.

Methods: 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.

Results: 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.

Conclusions: 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. (Less)
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, psychoeducation, telemedicine, quality of life, family caregivers, survivors, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, psychoeducation, telemedicine, quality of life, family caregivers, survivors
in
Journal of Clinical Medicine
volume
14
issue
13
article number
4429
publisher
MDPI AG
ISSN
2077-0383
DOI
10.3390/jcm14134429
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Copyright: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
id
2057ba27-8c95-4a49-963d-278c411b6020
date added to LUP
2025-06-24 10:11:53
date last changed
2025-06-24 11:42:45
@article{2057ba27-8c95-4a49-963d-278c411b6020,
  abstract     = {{Background: 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.<br/><br/>Methods: 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.<br/><br/>Results: 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.<br/><br/>Conclusions: 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.}},
  author       = {{Mion, Marco and Lilja, Gisela and Bohm, Mattias and Blennow Nordström, Erik and Töniste, Dorit and Heimburg, Katarina and Swindell, Paul and Dankiewicz, Josef and Skrifvars, Markus B. and Nielsen, Niklas and Jakobsen, Janus Christian and White, Judith and Wise, Matt P. and Gorgoraptis, Nikos and Keenan, Meadbh and Hopkins, Philip and Pareek, Nilesh and Maccaroni, Maria and Keeble, Thomas R.}},
  issn         = {{2077-0383}},
  keywords     = {{out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; psychoeducation; telemedicine; quality of life; family caregivers; survivors; out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; psychoeducation; telemedicine; quality of life; family caregivers; survivors}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  number       = {{13}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{Journal of Clinical Medicine}},
  title        = {{V-CARE (Virtual Care After REsuscitation): Protocol for a Randomized Feasibility Study of a Virtual Psychoeducational Intervention After Cardiac Arrest—A STEPCARE Sub-Study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jcm14134429}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/jcm14134429}},
  volume       = {{14}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}