Health coaching for people waiting for a lung transplant

Pre-transplant health coaching to improve patient-reported outcomes in lung transplant candidates

NIH-funded research Mayo Clinic Rochester · NIH-11326744

Short, 30-minute phone coaching sessions aim to help adults with COPD who are on the lung transplant waiting list manage emotions and daily health tasks.

Quick facts

Grant typeNIH-funded research
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionMayo Clinic Rochester NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Rochester, United States)
Project IDNIH-11326744 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you join, you would be randomly assigned to receive regular 30-minute telephone health coaching sessions or to continue usual care. The coaches focus on improving emotional health, self-management skills, coping while waiting, and medication adherence. The coaching program was designed using interviews with transplant patients and providers and showed promise in a small single-center pilot. Most contacts are by phone so you would not need frequent travel to the clinic.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Adults (21+) with advanced COPD who are currently listed for a lung transplant and able to take phone calls are the ideal candidates.

Not a fit: People who are not on a lung transplant waiting list, are under 21, or cannot participate in phone-based coaching are unlikely to benefit from this program.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, coaching could improve emotional well-being, self-management before transplant, and quality of life after transplant.

How similar studies have performed: A prior small pilot at the same center and studies of health coaching in non-transplant COPD patients showed positive effects, but this larger randomized trial will test the approach specifically for transplant candidates.

Where this research is happening

Rochester, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Chronic Obstruction Pulmonary DiseaseChronic Obstructive Lung DiseaseChronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.