Heart to Heart: Community Health Worker support to increase cardiac rehabilitation participation

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This is a prospective, single-center pilot enrolling adults hospitalized with cardiovascular events at Johns Hopkins who are eligible for cardiac rehabilitation. Participants who meet socioeconomic criteria will be offered the Heart to Heart (H2H) program, which delivers 4 to 8 tailored coaching sessions by a Community Health Worker via phone or video over three months. All participants complete surveys at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months, and the study team will abstract medical records to document referrals and participation in cardiac rehab. The study will measure acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary signals of impact on cardiac rehab uptake during up to six months of follow-up.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Patients hospitalized with cardiac events and eligible for CR at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Bayview Medical Center. CR eligibility is determined by their treating health care team .
2. Low socioeconomic status defined by Medicaid insurance, or top quartile of the area deprivation index in Baltimore city.
3. Age ≥ 21 years
4. Willing to be audio-recorded

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Formal diagnosis of dementia or cognitive impairment in the Electronic Health Record (EHR) that would prohibit completion of study activities
2. Formal diagnosis of a severe psychiatric disorders by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) criteria in the EHR that would prohibit completion of study activities (e.g., schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder).
3. Systemic illness limiting longevity (e.g., advanced cancer)
4. Contraindications to CR as assessed by their health care team
5. Unwilling or unable to follow study procedures.
6. Unable to consent
7. Unable to speak or understand English. Assessments including in-depth interviews will be conducted in English.

Where it's running

• Johns Hopkins Hospital
  Baltimore, Maryland, United States Recruiting
• Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
  Baltimore, Maryland, United States Recruiting
• Johns Hopkins Hospital
  Baltimore, Maryland, United States Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Lena Matthews, MD — Johns Hopkins University
• Study coordinator: Lena Mathews, MD
• Email: lmathew6@jhmi.edu
• Phone: 410-550-5191

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.