Myosteoarthritismyway: Program Developing and Implementing of a Patient-Centered Mobile App Self-Management Program for Patient with Osteoarthritis: Randomized Controlled Trial (Second and Third Years Projects)

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressively degenerative disease, and is a leading cause of disability with incidence and prevalence rising in most elderly populations which contribute the number of OA continue increasing at a rapid rate. Indeed, the symptoms of OA can cause disability, pain, and joint stiffness, even results poorer quality of life. Self-management (SM) is worldwide reported as an effective approach to utilize for those with chronic disease. However, we had been conducted a program that granted by the MOST (NSC 102-2628-B-182-019-MY3), which showed the traditional SM program have some limitation such as patients can’t get help immediately, follow-up the patients’ needs, fraud issue, involving all patients because geographical barriers, and the effectiveness don’t remain long term. Therefore, it is need to develop of scalable eHealth SM models and practices seems mandatory in order to cope with the change in population needs and reduce the burden of OA.Aim: The aim of this study is to develop and evaluate the efficacy of a mobile app self-management (mSM) program focusing on patients’ needs in OA patients over a 6 months’ follow-up.Methods: This study will be conducted in two years, which will base on the patients’ needs by the MOST in 2019 (MOST 108-2314-B-182-057) identifying. After patients’ needs identified of the mSM users, the mSM program focusing on patients’ needs will be developed through the literature searched and experts consulted in the second year. The mSM program contents, prototype, mobile application, field usability, and user acceptance will be tested by a 4-month pilot study. To ensure the protocol is realistic and whether any modifications of the program procedure are required by running pilot study with 10 OA patients. In the third year, we will test a patient-needs mobile app SM program for OA by randomized controlled trial of 6 months’ duration. The total 66 patients with OA will be recruited while the participant in orthopedics clinic of a hospital. The experimental group (N=33) will receive a mSM program, and the control group (N=33) will receive with the usual care only. The mSM program is developed on Bundura’s self-efficacy theory, which provides four sources of information for SM. The strategies of the mSM consist of mobile app to management program including peer support, appraisal, goal setting and self-monitoring of exercise for OA and symptom management. In order to examine the effects of mSM program, data will be collected with 4 time points which will be conducted at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months, and by seven health- related outcomes that include physical function, quality of OA care, self-efficacy, depressive symptom, quality of life, SM behaviors, and health services use. Conclusion: We expect these efforts to generate the mSM program which utilizes different strategies might perhaps building the OA SM guideline based in this research experiences and yield better results. This could motivate government sand policymakers to take steps to make policies that may help patients to SM their health status. Indeed, the mSM program is worth developing for telecare care.

Project ID:PC10908-0006
External Project ID:MOST109-2314-B182-051