Feasibility and validity of Ecological Momentary Assessment in patients with acute coronary syndrome

Background In recent years, Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) has expanded rapidly in healthcare research but its application specifically to the field of cardiology has been limited. This study presents essential information concerning the feasibility and validity of EMA in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Methods Four months after a first-ever acute coronary syndrome, 47 patients completed EMA five times a day for seven consecutive days concerning their current activities, mood and perceived negativity or positivity of daily events. Results Compliance with the repeated electronic assessments was high, and no evidence was found for time-dependent biases such as fatigue or practice effects. The resulting EMA data were found to have high internal validity, high reliability when considering average scores, and low reliability when considering within-person variance. Conclusions We found evidence for the feasibility and intrinsic validity of EMA in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Research examining daily life experiences, symptoms and therapeutic adherence in this population can be reinforced through the use of mobile technologies.