Publicaties

Whereas exercise training, as part of multidisciplinary rehabilitation, is a key component in the management of patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) and/or congestive heart failure (CHF), physicians and exercise professionals disagree among themselves on the type and characteristics of the exercise to be prescribed to these patients, and the exercise prescriptions are not consistent with the international guidelines. This impacts the ...

Objective: In a secondary prevention of coronary artery disease (CAD), nutritional management is an integral part of lifestyle optimisation. However, few studies have investigated the potential of remote nutritional follow-up using digital solutions. This study investigates the effectiveness of a smartphone application for nutrition education and feedback with pictures of meals by a dietitian for patients with CAD. Methods: Sixty participants ...

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a class Ia recommendation by international guidelines. However, the participation remains disappointingly low. Multiple barriers were already identified. Nevertheless, the relationship with psychosocial factors remains unsettled. The aim of this study is to analyse the role of psychosocial factors in CR participation.

Background: While questionnaires for assessing digital literacy exist, there is still a need for an easy-to-use and implementable questionnaire for assessing digital readiness in a broader sense. Additionally, learnability should be assessed to identify those patients who need additional training to use digital tools in a health care setting. Objective: The aim of the development of the Digital Health Readiness Questionnaire (DHRQ) was to create ...

Background/Introduction: Our Western lifestyle is characterized by an irregular and poorly balanced dietary pattern and insufficient PA. Purpose: The digital health application PROTEIN, developed within the H2020-RI-project PROTEIN (https://protein-h2020.eu/), aims to engage people in a healthy, nutritionally sound and active lifestyle. To obtain information on acceptability, usability, feasibility and preliminary effectiveness, pilots are being ...

Background: As the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) increases worldwide and AF management becomes ever more diversified and personalised, insights into (regional) AF patient demographics and contemporary AF management are needed. This paper reports the current AF management and baseline demographics of a Belgian AF population recruited for a large multicenter integrated AF study (AF-EduCare/AF-EduApp study). Methods: We analyzed data from ...

Introduction: A multidisciplinary approach is needed for the management of atrial fibrillation (AF) in which the patient has a central role. Smart devices create opportunities to improve AF management. This paper aimed to evaluate the in-house developed AF-EduApp application on its usability, satisfaction, and communication effectiveness with the care team.Methods: During a multicenter, prospective randomized controlled trial, 153 AF patients ...

Secondary prevention is recommended after a cardiac event to stimulate recovery and reduce the risk of recurrent events. To optimize the results and support the patients to actively play a part in the prevention programme, the Euro-pean guidelines and EAPC position statements on prevention of cardiovascular diseases suggest a holistic approach and shared decision making (SDM). Up till now, no eHealth solution that offers a holistic approach for ...