Effects of telephone health mentoring in community-recruited chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on self-management capacity, quality of life and psychological morbidity: a randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES

To assess benefits of telephone-delivered health mentoring in community-based chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

DESIGN

Cluster randomised controlled trial.

SETTING

Tasmanian general practices: capital city (11), large rural (3), medium rural (1) and small rural (16).

PARTICIPANTS

Patients were invited (1207) from general practitioner (GP) databases with COPD diagnosis and/or tiotropium prescription, response rate 49% (586), refused (176) and excluded (criteria: smoking history or previous study, 68). Spirometry testing (342) confirmed moderate or severe COPD in 182 (53%) patients.

RANDOMISATION

By random numbers code, block stratified on location, allocation by sequentially numbered, opaque and sealed envelopes.

INTERVENTION

Health mentor (HM) group received regular calls to manage illness issues and health behaviours from trained community health nurses using negotiated goal setting: problem solving, decision-making and action planning.

CONTROL

usual care (UC) group received GP care plus non-interventional brief phone calls.

OUTCOMES

Measured at 0, 6 and 12 months, the Short Form 36 (SF-36) and St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ, primary); Partners In Health (PIH) Scale for self-management capacity, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) questionnaire, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist, Satisfaction with life and hospital admissions (secondary).

RESULTS

182 participants with COPD (age 68±8 years, 62% moderate COPD and 53% men) were randomised (HM=90 and UC=92). Mixed model regression analysis accounting for clustering, adjusting for age, gender, smoking status and airflow limitation assessed efficacy (regression coefficient, β, reported per 6-month visit). There was no difference in quality of life between groups, but self-management capacity increased in the HM group (PIH overall 0.15, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.29; knowledge domain 0.25, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.50). Anxiety decreased in both groups (HADS A 0.35; 95% CI -0.65 to -0.04) and coping capacity improved (PIH coping 0.15; 95% CI 0.04 to 0.26).

CONCLUSIONS

Health mentoring improved self-management capacity but not quality of life compared to regular phone contact, which itself had positive effects where decline is generally expected.