The Effects of Educational Program Using APP on Pre-Discharge Knowledge, Skills and Anxiety of Wound Care

Kaohsiung Medical University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Wound

Treatments: Behavioral: oral education; Behavioral: mobile applications (APP)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03683303

KMUHIRB-E(II)-20160030

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purposes of this study were to understand the effects of mhealth App on wound care knowledge, wound care skills, and anxiety related to dressing change when compared to traditional health education before patients discharged from hospital.

Full description

1. Research design:

   This study employed a single-blind experimental design. Study participants were randomized into the experimental and control groups. Participants in the experimental group used the mHealth App as intervention while those in the control group received normal verbal instructions. The levels of wound care knowledge, skills, and anxiety related to dressing change in the two groups were compared before intervention (T1), after intervention (T2), and before discharge (T3).

2. Study setting & samples:

The recruitment site of this study was conducted in a plastic surgery ward at a 1500-bed university hospital located in Southern of Taiwan. Samples were recruited either hospitalized patients or their primary caregivers from March to December 2016. Inclusion criteria were of Taiwanese nationality, were aged 20 years and above, had a wound classification score of 6-10 points according to Strauss (2000), required self-care of wound at home, and had a habit of using smartphones. Exclusion criteria included special care conditions, such as (1) other comorbidities (such as severe infection or severe compression injuries with comorbid open fractures) and (2) being a special patient, such as one with mental illness. Sample estimation based on the F test of MANOVA statistics was carried out using the G Power 3.1 software. Each group had at least 31 samples (effect size = 0.25, ∝ = 0.05, power = 0.85). A total of 76 participants satisfied the inclusion criteria for this study. There were 6 patients who were not willing to participate in this study; therefore, 35 participants were randomized enrolled in each of the experimental and control groups.

Enrollment: 70 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 20+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• aged 20 years and above.
• wound classification score of 6-10 points according to Strauss (2000).
• required wound self-care at home or care by their primary caregivers.
• had a habit of using smartphones.

Exclusion criteria

• other comorbidities (such as severe infection or severe compression injuries with comorbid open fractures).
• being a special patient, such as one with mental illness.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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70 participants in 2 patient groups

mobile applications (APP)

Experimental group

Description:

A total of 70 participants were randomized to each group for 35 people, the control group receiving the oral patient education and the experimental group receiving patient education using mobile applications. Both groups collected data using "Wound Care Knowledge Scale," "Wound Care Skills Scale," "State Trait Anxiety Inventory" and "Heart Rate Variability" at three phases, including before the intervention (T1), after 3 times of intervention (T2), and before discharge from hospital (T3).

Treatment:

Behavioral: mobile applications (APP)

oral education

Active Comparator group

Description:

A total of 70 participants were randomized to each group for 35 people, the control group receiving the oral patient education and the experimental group receiving patient education using mobile applications. Both groups collected data using "Wound Care Knowledge Scale," "Wound Care Skills Scale," "State Trait Anxiety Inventory" and "Heart Rate Variability" at three phases, including before the intervention (T1), after 3 times of intervention (T2), and before discharge from hospital (T3).

Treatment:

Behavioral: oral education