HEROIC Program for Heart Failure
What You Need to Know Before You Apply
What is the purpose of this trial?
This study will test the mechanisms of a multi-component, nurse-led, primary palliative care intervention, HEart failure Resilience Intervention for Caregivers (HEROIC) to improve caregiver mental well-being, patient health-related quality of life and unplanned acute care in the setting of advanced heart failure. The investigators will conduct a multi-site, randomized controlled trial to test proposed mechanisms of action in a large sample (N=500) of persons with heart failure and the caregivers. The investigators will also examine variation in response to HEROIC components by heart failure subgroup (ventricular assist device, heart transplant or medically managed heart failure).
Who Is on the Research Team?
Martha Abshire Saylor, PhD, RN
Principal Investigator
Johns Hopkins University
Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?
This trial is for people with advanced heart failure and their caregivers. Participants may have a ventricular assist device, have had a heart transplant, or be managing heart failure medically. Both patients and their main caregivers can join.Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?
Interventions
- HEROIC program
Trial Overview
The study compares the HEROIC program—a nurse-led support intervention designed to help caregivers cope—with standard care. It aims to see if HEROIC improves caregiver mental health, patient quality of life, and reduces emergency hospital visits.
How Is the Trial Designed?
2
Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
The HEart Failure Resilience Intervention for Caregivers (HEROIC) is a theory- and evidence-based primary palliative care intervention including 5 individualized nurse-led sessions conducted over 10 weeks via video calls. HEROIC helps caregivers identify and address caregiving and palliative care needs for the patient, while also focusing on caregiver mental health, leveraging multi-level resilience resources: individual (goal-setting, self-care), community (social support, palliative/clinical, community) and existential (life purpose).
The control group will receive written educational materials related to Heart Failure (HF) management, home safety tips, and supportive resources. This control is selected to provide a comparative baseline that reflects typical care practices without the active intervention elements .
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Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Johns Hopkins University
Lead Sponsor
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Collaborator
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