Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32246229›Full record

ArticleApplied psychophysiology and biofeedback2020

Feasibility and Efficacy of the Addition of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback to a Remote Digital Health Intervention for Depression.

Marcos Economides, Paul Lehrer, Kristian Ranta, Albert Nazander, Outi Hilgert, Anu Raevuori, Richard Gevirtz, Inna Khazan, Valerie L Forman-Hoffman

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
25citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
4.6field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

25 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 50 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Pooled it
  5. Trial
  6. Trial
  7. Addressing Mental Health Symptoms Among COVID-19 Healthcare Workers: A Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Pilot Study.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2024
    Trial
  8. Article
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  15. Review
  16. My Life in HRV Biofeedback Research.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2022
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Marcos EconomidesMeru Health Inc, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Paul LehrerRutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
Kristian RantaMeru Health Inc, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Albert NazanderMeru Health Inc, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Outi HilgertMeru Health Inc, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Anu RaevuoriMeru Health Inc, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Richard GevirtzDepartment of Clinical Psychology, California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant University, San Diego, USA.
Inna KhazanHarvard Medical School, Boston Center for Health Psychology and Biofeedback, Boston, USA.
Valerie L Forman-HoffmanMeru Health Inc, Palo Alto, CA, USA. valerie@meruhealth.com.
Alliant International University · USHarvard University · USJohnson University · USUniversity of Helsinki · FI

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

A rise in the prevalence of depression underscores the need for accessible and effective interventions. The objectives of this study were to determine if the addition of a treatment component showing promise in treating depression, heart rate variability-biofeedback (HRV-B), to our original smartphone-based, 8-week digital intervention was feasible and whether patients in the HRV-B ("enhanced") intervention were more likely to experience clinically significant improvements in depressive symptoms than patients in our original ("standard") intervention. We used a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent (matched) groups design to compare changes in symptoms of depression in the enhanced group (n = 48) to historical outcome data from the standard group (n = 48). Patients in the enhanced group completed a total average of 3.86 h of HRV-B practice across 25.8 sessions, and were more likely to report a clinically significant improvement in depressive symptom score post-intervention than participants in the standard group, even after adjusting for differences in demographics and engagement between groups (adjusted OR 3.44, 95% CI [1.28-9.26], P = .015). Our findings suggest that adding HRV-B to an app-based, smartphone-delivered, remote intervention for depression is feasible and may enhance treatment outcomes.

Indexed as

Biofeedback, PsychologyCognitive Behavioral TherapyHeart RateMeditationOutcome and Process Assessment, Health CareTelemedicineAdultFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMindfulnessMobile ApplicationsPatient Reported Outcome MeasuresBiofeedbackDepressionDigital healthHeart rate variabilityMeditationmHealthMindfulnessOnline interventionSmartphone app

Identifiers

PMID32246229
PMCPMC7250954
OpenAlexW3014761077

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.