Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42103386›Full record

Trial reportBMJ open2026

Multimodal personalised executive function intervention (E-Fit) for school-aged children with complex congenital heart disease in Switzerland: a randomised controlled feasibility study.

Alenka S Schmid, Melanie Ehrler, Silvia A Bunge, Oliver Kretschmar, Markus A Landolt, Valentin Rousson, Ruth O'Gorman Tuura, Flavia M Wehrle, Beatrice Latal

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05198583 (Executive Function and Brain Development in Adolescents With Severe Congenital Heart Disease), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

NCT05198583 nacompletednot on this map

Executive Function and Brain Development in Adolescents With Severe Congenital Heart Disease (Teen Heart Study)

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity Children's Hospital, ZurichRan2022 to 2024Enrolled42ConditionsHeart Defects, Congenital, Executive DysfunctionArmsE-Fit
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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.

Alenka S SchmidChild Development Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland alenka.schmid@kispi.uzh.ch.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5013-0530
Melanie EhrlerChild Development Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4253-2016
Silvia A BungeDepartment of Psychology & Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8431-7627
Oliver KretschmarChildren's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Markus A LandoltChildren's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Valentin RoussonDivision of Biostatistics Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Ruth O'Gorman TuuraChildren's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Flavia M WehrleChild Development Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5992-0424
Beatrice LatalChild Development Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1309-4790

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo explore the feasibility of a novel multimodal executive function intervention in school-aged children with complex congenital heart disease (cCHD).

designSingle-centre, single-blinded, randomised-controlled 8-week multimodal personalised executive function intervention (E-Fit) study. Outcomes were measured throughout the intervention, post-intervention (T1) and at 4-month follow-up (T2).

settingTertiary care centre between May 2022 and May 2024.

participantsChildren 10 to 12 years (M=11.0, SD=0.9) with cCHD without a genetic diagnosis with infant open-heart surgery and reported difficulties (T-scores ≥60) on any of the summary scales of the parent- or teacher-reported Behavior Rating Inventory for Executive Function (BRIEF).

interventionsChildren with cCHD were randomly assigned to one of two groups: the intervention or the control group. The 8-week intervention was multimodal including three modalities: (1) computerised executive function (EF) training 3×20 min/week with CogniFit; (2) a weekly, remote standardised 1:1 individual EF strategy coaching; (3) analogue games played at convenience. The control group completed activity logs. FEASIBILITY MEASURES: Acceptability: Acceptance and Feasibility Scale (AFS) and coach-rated engagement during coaching sessions. Demand: Number of completed computerised training, strategy coaching and analogue game sessions. IMPLEMENTATION: E-Fit Fidelity Measurement System, assessing adherence to core components. Practicality: Retention rate. Integration: AFS integration items. Exploratory efficacy: BRIEF, neuropsychological EF testing and psychosocial variables at baseline, post-intervention (8 weeks) and at 4-month follow-up.

resultsWe recruited 42 participants (N IMPLEMENTATION: Coaching sessions could be implemented by the coaches as intended. Practicality: Overall retention rate was 90%. Integration: E-Fit was well integrable into the home setting. Exploratory efficacy favoured the intervention group with improvements in the parent-rated Behavioral Regulation Index of the BRIEF (adjusted Hedge's (g

conclusionsE-Fit is a feasible intervention suggesting EF and social responsiveness improvements in children with cCHD. Motivational strategies to improve adherence to computerised training should be refined before a full-scale efficacy trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05198583.

Indexed as

Executive FunctionHeart Defects, CongenitalChildFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansMaleSingle-Blind MethodSwitzerlandTreatment OutcomeCongenital heart diseaseFeasibility StudiesPaediatric cardiologyPsychosocial Intervention

Identifiers

PMID42103386
PMCPMC13157806

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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.