Home telehealth program using activity-based therapy to help heart patients recover after hospitalization
Official title: Behavioral Activation Delivered via Home-based Telehealth to Improve Functioning inCardiovascular Disease Patients Recently Discharged from Inpatient Care
Funded at Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center · NIH-11092852 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project offers behavioral activation through home telehealth to adults with cardiovascular disease who feel depressed after leaving the hospital.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charleston, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2021 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01RX003377-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11092852 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Veterans aged 21 or older who were recently hospitalized for a cardiovascular event and are showing signs of depression are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without depression, those who cannot use home telehealth technology, or those needing immediate psychiatric or medical stabilization may not receive benefit from this program.
What this research studies
If you've been hospitalized for a heart problem and feel depressed, you could receive weekly Behavioral Activation sessions delivered to your home by telehealth instead of traveling to clinics. The program typically involves 8–12 weekly sessions that focus on resuming meaningful activities to lift mood and improve daily functioning. About 132 Veterans will be randomized to either the telehealth program or usual post-discharge care, with outcomes measured after treatment and at 3 and 9 months; the usual-care group can crossover to telehealth after 9 months. The study mainly measures how well participants function in daily life and recover after their cardiovascular hospitalization.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If effective, this approach could reduce depressive symptoms and improve daily functioning and recovery after a heart-related hospitalization.
How similar studies have gone: VA programs delivering Behavioral Activation via home telehealth to older Veterans have been developed and implemented previously, indicating prior positive experience though applying it specifically after CVD hospitalization is newer.
Where this research is happening
-
Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center
Charleston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Acierno, Ronald E. — Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Acierno, Ronald E.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.