Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: May 19, 2018
Open Peer Review Period: May 19, 2018 - Jul 14, 2018
Date Accepted: Nov 10, 2018
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Efficacy of smartphone application-based pulmonary rehabilitation in chemotherapy-treated patients with advanced lung cancer: a pilot study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Advanced lung cancer patients often have chronic lung disease with reduced exercise capacities and various symptoms leading to altered quality of life (QoL). No studies have assessed pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) employing a mobile application and an Internet of Things device in advanced lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Objective:
We determined the feasibility and efficacy of a smartphone application-based PR on exercise capacity, symptom management, and QoL in these patients.
Methods:
A total of 100 patients were recruited in a prospective, single-arm intervention study using smartphone application-based PR program for 12 weeks. Exercise capacity (6-minute walking distance, 6MWD), QoL, symptom scale scores, and distress indexes were investigated.
Results:
Ninety patients completed the PR program. The most common cause of dropout was hospitalization due to cancer progression. After PR, there was significant improvement in the 6MWD; 380.1 ± 74.1 m at baseline, 429.1 ± 58.6 m at 6-weeks (P < .001), and 448.1 ± 50.0 m at 12-weeks (P < .001). However, the dyspnea scale score showed no significant improvement in the patients overall, but there was a trend for improvement in those with a stable tumor response (P = .065). Role (P = .02), emotional (P < .001), and social functioning (P = .002) scale scores showed significant improvement after PR. Symptom scale scores for fatigue (P < .001), anorexia (P = .047), and diarrhea (P = .01) also showed significant improvement. There was significant improvement in depression (P = .048) and anxiety (P = .01), while there was no significant change in QoL (P = .063) and severity of pain (P = .24).
Conclusions:
Smartphone application-based PR represents an effective and feasible program to improve exercise capacity, and to manage symptoms and distress in patients with advanced lung cancer, undergoing chemotherapy.
Citation
Per the author's request the PDF is not available.
Copyright
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