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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2025 Oct:197:112355.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112355. Epub 2025 Aug 18.

Psychological well-being and the effects of supportive coaching during SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging in patients with suspected ischemic heart disease

T Roovers  1 , I A C Vermeltfoort  2 , J W Widdershoven  3 , W J Kop  4
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Free article
Randomized Controlled Trial

Psychological well-being and the effects of supportive coaching during SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging in patients with suspected ischemic heart disease

T Roovers et al. J Psychosom Res. 2025 Oct.
Free article

Abstract

Background: Diagnostic procedures for ischemic heart disease are common, but the consequences for the patient's psychological well-being are not well understood. The current study investigates changes in negative affect as a measure of psychological well-being during myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI-SPECT) and whether supportive coaching during diagnostic testing improves well-being, reduces symptom burden, and increases patient satisfaction.

Methods: Patients undergoing MPI-SPECT were randomly assigned to a supportive coaching intervention group or a care-as-usual control group. Negative affect was assessed at nine time-points throughout the 2-day diagnostic MPI visits. Anginal and adenosine-related symptoms were evaluated during cardiac stress testing (CST) and patient satisfaction at completion of MPI-SPECT. Data were analyzed using regression analysis, t-tests, and linear mixed models.

Results: A total of 149 patients were randomized (mean age = 68.5 [SD = 9.6] years, 41.6 % women; 74 intervention and 75 control condition). Negative affect changed significantly throughout the MPI procedure (F(8, 244.098) = 8.689, p < .001), with the highest level occurring during the peak phase of CST. Negative affect was associated with higher concurrent anginal (β = 0.285, p = .001) and adenosine-related symptoms (β = 0.252, p = .004) during CST. No significant benefits of supportive coaching were found for well-being or symptoms, inducibility of ischemia, or patient satisfaction (all p-values > .200).

Conclusion: Negative affect during MPI-SPECT is associated with cardiac symptoms during CST. No benefits were found of the short-term supportive coaching intervention during the MPI-SPECT procedure. Patient well-being might be improved by providing support during the entire diagnostic phase for ischemic heart disease rather than just during the MPI-SPECT procedure. Trial registration #NCT05896982. Open science statement/Preregistration: Medical Ethics Committee METC-Brabant NL81600.028.22 / P2234.

Keywords: Ischemic heart disease; MPI-SPECT; Patient satisfaction; Psychological well-being; Supportive coaching.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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