Smartphone-based Self-Management Support Program to Enhance Quality of Life in Patients With COPD

COPD is a progressive condition that worsens with age, significantly impacting patients, families, and society due to declining health status, reduced quality of life, and high healthcare utilization. Quality of life impairment remains a critical issue for individuals with COPD. This assessor-blinded, two-armed randomized controlled trial, with a 12-month follow-up, will recruit 130 eligible patients who will be randomized in blocks of 4-6 into either the intervention group (n=65) or the control group (n=65). The intervention group will receive the 3S-C smartphone-based self-management support program, while the control group will receive general hygiene (GH) information. The 3S-C program is designed to enhance patients' knowledge, skills, confidence, and self-management of their illness. It includes two 30-minute motivational enhancement sessions, staged WhatsApp/WeChat messages, personalized chat-based support (messaging, phone calls, and hotline services), an e-platform for self-monitoring, and a mutual support group session. In contrast, the GH program provides education on personal hygiene (e.g., hand washing), food hygiene (e.g., safe food storage), environmental hygiene (e.g., pest control), and sleep hygiene (e.g., avoiding caffeine before bedtime). The primary objective of this trial is to evaluate the impact of the 3S-C program on quality of life in COPD patients. Secondary outcomes include improvements in health-related cognition (knowledge, self-efficacy, and acceptance of illness), behavior (medication adherence, inhalation technique, physical activity, dietary habits, and smoking cessation), clinical outcomes (dyspnea, exacerbations, exercise capacity, sleep quality, and mental health), and healthcare utilization (frequency of hospital visits and emergency care). Data will be collected at baseline, 4 months, and 12 months through surveys and simple fitness tests. Additionally, focus group interviews will be conducted. This study will determine if the 3S-C program effectively improves quality of life and health outcomes for COPD patients while reducing healthcare utilization. If successful, the 3S-C program could provide a scalable, low-cost solution to enhance COPD management.