Discovering typologies and tailoring communication: new tools in promoting lifestyle change among coronary artery disease patients

INTRODUCTION: Lifestyle change is a main goal of primary and secondary prevention in cardiovascular disease (CVD). Recent studies showed that a personalized communication, tailored on patients’ needs, preferences, and psychological characteristics, is more effective in promoting behavioral change compared to a generic communication. AIM: Of our study are: to investigate patients’ psychological characteristics, to identify types of patients through the clusterization of these characteristics; to verify the effectiveness of tailored vs. generic communication. METHODS: We plan to enroll 50 patients undergoing a cycle of CV rehabilitation after an acute coronary syndrome or MI. Psychological characteristics, lifestyle, and information needs/preferences are assessed through questionnaire. Patients are then randomly assigned to two groups, respectively receiving through ordinary mail generic and tailored informative brochures focused on lifestyle changes. Patients are then interviewed to test the effectiveness of the two kinds of brochures. RESULTS: We expect to identify types of patients differently characterized in terms of lifestyle, information needs and clinical condition; to confirm the higher effectiveness, in terms of understanding, utility and pleasantness, of tailored brochures compared to generic ones. CONCLUSIONS: This cross-sectional study will contribute to the personalization of CVD management toward a more effective and patient-oriented health care.