A mobile-based self-care application for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A protocol for design,...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Respiratory Medicine
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Self-care education is crucial for managing chronic respiratory diseases.
• Information and communication technologies offer new avenues for patient self-care.
• Mobile technologies are increasingly explored for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) self-management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a protocol for designing, implementing, and evaluating a mobile-based self-care application for COPD patients.
• To leverage technology for improved self-care education and activities in COPD.
• To address the specific self-care needs of individuals with COPD through a dedicated application.

Main Methods:

• The study employs a design science approach, a problem-solving paradigm.
• The waterfall model, a common IT development framework, guides the application lifecycle.
• The protocol outlines seven stages: preliminary analysis, system analysis, design, programming, testing, implementation, and maintenance.

Main Results:

• This protocol represents the first initiative in Iran to design, implement, and evaluate a mobile self-care app for COPD patients.
• The application integrates novel technologies for self-care education, offering an innovative strategy.
• The app is specifically tailored to the self-care requirements of COPD patients.

Conclusions:

• The developed mobile application is expected to significantly promote self-care activities among COPD patients.
• Integrating technology into COPD patient education is an innovative approach to disease management.
• This protocol provides a framework for creating effective digital health solutions for chronic respiratory conditions.