Evaluation of a hand‐held, computer‐based intervention to promote early self‐care behaviors after lung transplant

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Abstract
Background: Lung transplant recipients are expected to perform self‐care behaviors to maximize transplant‐related health outcomes. Despite high non‐adherence rates in performing these self‐care behaviors, and the dire clinical consequences of such non‐adherence, interventions are lacking. Pocket Personal Assistant for Tracking Health (Pocket PATH) is a hand‐held device developed for patients to record health data, review data trends, and report condition changes to the transplant team. Methods: A pilot trial was conducted to compare self‐care agency, self‐care behaviors, and health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) between recipients randomized to use Pocket PATH (n = 15) vs. standard care (n = 15) for the first two months following hospital discharge after lung transplantation. Results: Baseline characteristics were equivalent across groups. Patients in the Pocket PATH group showed significantly higher ratings of self‐care agency, performed self‐care behaviors at significantly higher rates, and reported significantly better HRQOL than standard care controls. Conclusion: Pocket PATH is more efficacious than standard care in promoting early self‐care agency, self‐care behaviors, and HRQOL in lung recipients. A large‐scale randomized controlled trial is needed to test the impact of Pocket PATH on long‐term self‐care behaviors.