Intermountain Healthcare, a not-for-profit healthcare system with 385 clinics and 33 hospitals in the Intermountain West (primarily Utah, Idaho, Nevada)
Can personalized behavioral nudges delivered to patients with cardiovascular conditions improve their adherence behaviors?
A 12-month randomized controlled trial (ENCOURAGE) to examine the efficacy of behavioral nudges as a patient decision support mechanism (The results of the trial were presented at the Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association). 182 participants from cardiovascular clinics - median age 63.2, and 74.2% male; 93.4% with coronary artery disease.
Nudge-based intervention increased care plan adherence in participants on statin therapy compared to the control group (0.742 vs. 0.639, P = 0.042).
The nudge group had a significantly higher proportion of participants achieving optimal adherence (PDC ≥ 80%) at 12 months compared to the control group (66.3% vs. 50.5%, P = 0.036).
The study showed a 38% reduction in Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE) in the experiment group, but the sample was not powered to test the robustness of this result.
"I remember to take my medications more often because of the nudges."
"The nudges made me more conscious of taking medication properly."
"Nice to have a nudge. They are helpful and simple."