Development and Pilot Testing of a Smartphone-Based Self-Care Program for Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Digital Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection requires ongoing patient self-management.
• Existing self-care support for chronic HBV patients can be limited.
• Smartphone technology offers a platform for accessible health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and pilot test a smartphone-based self-care program, Hep B Care®, for patients with chronic HBV.
• To evaluate the feasibility and impact of the Hep B Care® program on patient health outcomes.
• To assess the program's effectiveness in disease education, symptom management, and healthcare communication.

Main Methods:

• A 12-week pilot study involving 63 chronic HBV patients (30 in experimental group, 33 in control).
• The Hep B Care® app provided disease information, medication/exercise reminders, and healthcare provider messaging.
• Outcomes measured included salivary cortisol, fatigue, depression, anxiety, HBV knowledge, quality of life, and medication adherence.

Main Results:

• The experimental group using Hep B Care® showed significantly increased cortisol levels.
• Patients in the experimental group demonstrated improved knowledge of HBV.
• A significant decrease in mean anxiety scores was observed in the experimental group.

Conclusions:

• The Hep B Care® smartphone application partially improved health outcomes for chronic HBV patients.
• The program effectively enhanced patient knowledge and reduced anxiety levels.
• Further large-scale trials are recommended to validate the efficacy of smartphone-based self-care programs for HBV management.