mHealth Tools for Heart Conditions
(BRIDGE Trial)
What You Need to Know Before You Apply
What is the purpose of this trial?
The purpose of the BRIDGE study is to learn whether supplementing traditional center-based cardiac rehabilitation (CBCR) with a mobile health technology intervention can help patients monitor their health, stay engaged in healthy lifestyle behaviors, better manage cardiovascular risk factors, and improve overall health outcomes.
Cardiac rehabilitation is an evidence-based outpatient program designed to help people recover from heart-related conditions through supervised exercise, education, counseling, and support for healthy lifestyle changes. Although cardiac rehabilitation is highly recommended and beneficial, many patients do not receive the full benefits of the program. Some patients attend fewer sessions than recommended, and many find it difficult to maintain healthy habits outside of the clinic, such as regular physical activity, heart-healthy eating, taking medications as prescribed, monitoring blood pressure, and managing weight.
This study will test whether combining CBCR with mobile health tools may improve participation and support healthy behaviors at home. Mobile health tools include mobile phone applications, connected devices such as a weight scale, blood pressure monitor, and activity tracker, as well as personalized text messages designed to encourage and support healthy self-care.
This study will help determine whether these mobile health tools can make cardiac rehabilitation more effective and help patients maintain healthy behaviors beyond the clinic setting.
Who Is on the Research Team?
Spyros Kitsiou, PhD
Principal Investigator
University of Illinois Chicago
Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?
This trial is for adults (18+) who have had heart conditions like a recent heart attack, stable angina, heart failure, or certain heart surgeries and are enrolled in or referred to a center-based cardiac rehab program. Participants must be able to exercise and read/speak English.Inclusion Criteria
What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?
Interventions
- BRIDGE mHealth intervention
Trial Overview
The study compares standard center-based cardiac rehab alone versus the same rehab plus mobile health tools—like phone apps, activity trackers, blood pressure monitors, and supportive text messages—to see if these help patients stick with healthy habits.
How Is the Trial Designed?
2
Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Participants randomized to the intervention group will receive BRIDGE in addition to the standard CBCR program at UI Health. BRIDGE is a multimodal mHealth intervention designed to extend behavioral support beyond clinic visits through mobile app- and device-based self-monitoring, feedback, and individually tailored text messages promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors (e.g. physical activity, heart healthy diet, and medication adherence).
Participants randomized to the control group will receive standard outpatient CBCR at UI Health with no additional study-delivered mHealth intervention. The CBCR program at UI Health is a structured, medically supervised secondary prevention program for patients with qualifying cardiovascular conditions. It includes individualized aerobic and resistance exercise training, clinical monitoring during exercise sessions, education on heart disease and risk factor management, counseling to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors, and support for long-term adherence to prescribed treatment and self-care recommendations. Participants are encouraged to attend up to 36 supervised sessions over \~12 weeks. In addition to supervised exercise, CBCR includes education related to cardiovascular disease self-management, physical activity, healthy eating, weight management, lipid control, blood pressure management, smoking cessation, stress reduction, and other risk factor modification strtegies.
Find a Clinic Near You
Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
University of Illinois at Chicago
Lead Sponsor
University of Illinois Chicago
Lead Sponsor
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
Collaborator
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