The purpose of the study was to test a telephone counseling intervention for patients after leaving the hospital for a heart attack to use medication, exercise, healthy eating and smoking cessation to prevent further heart attacks.

BACKGROUND: Efficacy of brief individual telephone coaching for secondary prevention behavior has been shown. However, the independent contribution of personal counseling to system-level intervention is untested. We tested a multiple-risk factor brief counseling intervention in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) following hospital-based quality improvement (QI) program.

METHODS: Patient-level randomized trial of hospital quality improvement (QI-only) versus quality improvement plus brief telephone coaching in the first three months post-hospitalization (QI-plus) for patients hospitalized for ACS. Data collection: medical record review, state vital records, and post-hospital surveys (baseline, 3 and 8 months post hospitalization). Main outcomes: secondary prevention behaviors, physical functioning, and quality of life.

RESULTS: QI-plus patients reported statistically significant independent improvements in physical activity (OR = 1.62; p = .01) during the intervention, and were more likely to participate in formal cardiac rehabilitation (OR = 2.51; p = .02). Smoking cessation was not statistically different (OR = 1.31; p = .68); functional status and quality of life were not different at 8 months. Medication use was high in QI and QI-plus groups, and improved over prior cohorts in the same hospitals.

CONCLUSION: QI improved physician and patient adherence to guidelines and improved medical therapy in-hospital continued in the outpatient setting. Brief telephone coaching was modestly effective in accomplishing short-term, but not long-term life-style behavior change. Patient life-style behavior change appears to require sustained intervention. QI-based improvement in medication use improves survival and appears to be the most efficient route to improved outcomes for all patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. age of 21 years or older,
2. a documented serum Troponin I level of greater than, or equal to the upper limits of normal in each hospital, and
3. a working diagnosis of ACS in the medical record.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. inability to speak English or to complete the enrollment interview, and
2. discharge to a non-home setting.