Smartphone-App as Maintenance Program in COPD

This is a randomized, controlled, open-label, multi-centered trial carried out at in-patient PR-hospital centers in Germany and Switzerland . The interventions will involve use of KAIA COPD-app program (Arm 1) or an active comparator i.e. usual care (Arm 2). Patients completing an in-hospital PR-Program and consenting to participate in the study will be screened for the inclusion and exclusion criteria and enrolled in the study. After fulfillment of the screening requirements, they will be randomized into one of the two arms with parallel group assignment in a 1:1 ratio. The training program will be delivered to the participants grouped to the arm 1 through KAIA COPD-App and arm 2 as provided in regular recommendations or standard of care through the PI. In total, 104 participants will be included to the trial. Treatment period will last for 24 weeks. Electronic versions of Questionnaires will be used to collect patient reported assessments remotely. The primary outcome measure is the change in physical activity of the intervention group in comparison to the control group, measured over one week as mean steps per day with the Polar A 370 activity tracker, from baseline (end of PR) to 6-months follow-up. The secondary outcome measures are functional exercise capacity, health status, sleep quality, exacerbation rate, depression and anxiety symptoms assessed at several intervals. This study seeks to prove the implications of the Kaia COPD mobile application in COPD patients after PR. The app offers educational, exercise training plus activity monitoring and motivational program that can be easily implemented in the patient's home-setting enabling patients.