# The rise and fall of a social support intervention feasibility trial targeting loneliness in patients with cardiac disease - lessons learned and future perspectives

## TL;DR

This study tested a social support intervention for lonely cardiac patients but found it difficult to recruit participants, highlighting challenges in implementing such programs.

## Contribution

The study provides insights into the feasibility challenges of implementing social support interventions for lonely cardiac patients.

## Key findings

- Only 6% of screened patients experienced loneliness, and only 11.8% of those accepted participation in the intervention.
- The low recruitment rate failed to meet the acceptability criterion of 25%, indicating the intervention was non-feasible.
- The study reveals complexities in engaging lonely cardiac patients in social support programs.

## Abstract

One of the psychosocial factors recognized for its positive impact on health outcomes among patients with heart disease, is social support provided by network members. However, an increasing number of patients report to experience loneliness. This study addresses the gap in research on the feasibility of an individually structured social support intervention targeting patients treated for cardiac disease who experience loneliness.

A feasibility trial of a 6-month social support intervention targeted patients treated for cardiac disease who experienced loneliness. The intervention involved providing the patient with an informal caregiver, either a person from the patient’s social network or a peer, in the long-term rehabilitation phase. Furthermore, the intervention included nurse consultations and motivational text messages. Feasibility was assessed in terms of acceptability and adherence.

During October 2022-July 2023, n = 464 patients were screened for loneliness and 28 (6.0%) screened positive of which 17 (60.7%) accepted to be contacted and receive additional information about the social support intervention. Of these, 2 (11.8%) accepted participation. The low recruitment rate did not meet the predetermined acceptability criterion of 25%.

This individually structured social support intervention targeting patients treated for cardiac disease who experience loneliness was non-feasible. The study highlights the complexities of engaging lonely patients in a social support intervention program and contributes with valuable insights for future research aiming to develop effective social support interventions tailored to the needs of cardiac patients who experience loneliness.

The trial is registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05503810) 18.08.2022.