Smartphone program to improve quality of life for people with COPD
Official title: A Proactive Patient-centered Interactive Smartphone-based Self-Management Support Program for Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease - A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial With Mixed-method Evaluation
Run by Hong Kong Metropolitan University · NCT06888557 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study will test a smartphone-based self-management program (3S-C) to see if it helps people with COPD feel better, manage their condition, and use less healthcare.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 40 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 130 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Hong Kong Metropolitan University Academic / other |
| Locations | 3 sites (Hong Kong, Hong Kong and 2 other locations) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | March 19, 2025 |
| Main results expected | December 31, 2027 |
| Study ends | March 31, 2028 |
| Registry record updated | August 22, 2025 |
| Trial ID | NCT06888557 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal candidates are Chinese-speaking adults aged 40 or older with confirmed COPD who had an acute exacerbation in the past 6 months, are physically and cognitively able to participate, and own a smartphone with WhatsApp or WeChat.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients with other significant lung diseases, New York Heart Association Class IV heart failure, serious active infection, inability to walk, unstable psychiatric illness, or those who cannot use a smartphone or read Chinese are unlikely to benefit from this program.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This assessor-blinded, two-arm randomized controlled trial will enroll 130 adults with COPD and follow them for 12 months. Participants randomized to the 3S-C program will receive two 30-minute motivational sessions, staged WhatsApp/WeChat messages, personalized chat- and phone-based support including a hotline, an e-platform for self-monitoring, and a mutual support group session. The control group will receive general hygiene education covering personal, food, environmental, and sleep hygiene. The primary outcome is change in quality of life, with secondary outcomes including health-related knowledge, self-efficacy, symptom measures, and healthcare utilization such as hospital visits.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could improve patients' quality of life, boost self-management skills, reduce symptoms, and lower hospital or clinic visits.
How similar studies have gone: Previous digital and self-management interventions for COPD have produced promising but mixed results, with some trials showing improved quality of life and reduced healthcare use while others show limited effects.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Aged 40 years and above * Confirmed diagnosis of COPD * Had COPD acute exacerbation in prior 6 months that required hospitalization, medical intervention or seek medical consultation * Mentally, cognitively and physically fit to join as determined by the doctor in-charge and responsible clinical investigators * Can speak and read Chinese * Completion of the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire * Has a smartphone with WhatsApp or WeChat Exclusion Criteria: * Have other significant lung disease or Class 4 heart failure \[defined by the New York Heart Association classification\] * Serious active infection * Inability to walk * Unstable psychiatric illness
Where it's running
-
Queen Elizbeth Hospital
Hong Kong, Hong Kong Recruiting -
United Christian Hospital
Hong Kong, Hong Kong Recruiting -
Queen Mary Hospital
Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Not yet recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Agnes YK Lai, PhD — Hong Kong Metropolitan University
- Study coordinator: Agnes YK Lai, PhD
- Email: ayklai@hkmu.edu.hk
- Phone: (852)3970-2917
Similar studies
Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.
-
Chronic Respiratory Disease Participant Engagement
This study tests whether adults with long-term lung conditions can get comfortable with a clinical trials unit and research team before joining future trials.
-
IOS-based platform to screen, diagnose, and manage COPD and asthma
This study tests an Impulse Oscillometry system to screen for and diagnose COPD and asthma and to help predict flare-ups over about a year, involving adults in China.
-
Targeted NMES to improve breathing and leg/extra muscle strength in COPD
This study tests whether targeted neuromuscular electrical stimulation helps people with COPD see improvements in breathing muscle function and overall muscle strength.
-
AERO-007: a inhaled LABA+LAMA combination for COPD through a nebulizer
This study tests whether a nebulized LABA+LAMA combination can improve lung function in adults with COPD.
-
PBMT with a pulmonary rehab program for COPD patients
A small randomized trial tests whether adding photobiomodulation therapy before exercise in a COPD pulmonary rehab program helps improve functional capacity.
-
Controlled versus standard oxygen therapy for ICU COPD with acute exacerbation
This trial tests whether keeping oxygen levels at 88-92% helps ICU patients with an acute COPD flare more than keeping levels above 94%.
How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.