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

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.