Background Evidence suggests that patients with COPD struggle to maintain improved physical activity (PA) after completing pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). Smartphone applications (apps) providing a comprehensive training programme have conferred healthy benefits. This study was conducted to determine whether regular usage of an app maintains PA following PR. Methods Patients with stage II–IV COPD were enrolled in a 6-month trial following PR. After the screening period, participants were randomised into the Kaia COPD app group (intervention group (IG)) or the control group (CG). The primary outcome was PA (daily steps), measured using an activity tracker. Secondary outcomes included the COPD Assessment Test (CAT), the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRQ) and the 1 min Sit-to-Stand Test (STST). Results Sixty participants completed the study. The median steps from baseline to 6 months were significantly different between the groups, in favour of the IG (−105.3, IQR −1970.1 to 2105.8, vs CG −1173.0, IQR −3813.1 to –93.8; p=0.007). CAT was significantly decreased in the IG (15.1±8.6 vs 19.7±6.4, p=0.02), whereas the CRQ subdomains for dyspnoea (4.5±1.7 vs 3.7±1.3, p=0.033) and fatigue (4.5±1.4 vs 3.5±1.3, p=0.028) improved significantly in the IG. The STST at 6 months was not significant. Sleep duration and sleep efficiency showed no significant differences between the two groups at any time. Conclusions A comprehensive program by using the Kaia app following PR maintained PA and improved symptoms in patients with COPD at 6 months. The app might be an important accessory tool for enhanced COPD care. Trial registration number DRKS00017275. Deidentified and aggregated participant data are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request, subject to approval by an independent ethics committee.

中文翻译：

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使用智能手机应用程序可维持 COPD 患者肺康复后的身体活动：一项随机对照试验

背景 有证据表明，COPD 患者在完成肺康复 (PR) 后难以维持改善的体力活动 (PA)。提供全面培训计划的智能手机应用程序 (apps) 带来了健康益处。进行这项研究是为了确定定期使用应用程序是否可以在 PR 后保持 PA。方法 II-IV 期 COPD 患者在 PR 后参加为期 6 个月的试验。筛选期后，参与者被随机分配到 Kaia COPD 应用程序组（干预组 (IG)）或对照组 (CG)。主要结果是 PA（每日步数），使用活动跟踪器测量。次要结果包括 COPD 评估测试 (CAT)、慢性呼吸系统疾病问卷 (CRQ) 和 1 分钟坐站测试 (STST)。结果 60 名参与者完成了研究。从基线到 6 个月的中位步骤在各组之间有显着差异，有利于 IG（−105.3，IQR −1970.1 至 2105.8，对比 CG −1173.0，IQR −3813.1 至 –93.8；p=0.007）。IG 中的 CAT 显着降低（15.1±8.6 vs 19.7±6.4，p=0.02），而呼吸困难（4.5±1.7 vs 3.7±1.3，p=0.033）和疲劳（4.5±1.4 vs 3.5±1.3）的 CRQ 子域, p=0.028) 在 IG 中有显着改善。6 个月时的 STST 并不显着。睡眠持续时间和睡眠效率在任何时候两组之间均无显着差异。结论 在 PR 后使用 Kaia 应用程序的综合计划在 6 个月时维持了 PA 并改善了 COPD 患者的症状。该应用程序可能是增强 COPD 护理的重要辅助工具。试用注册号 DRKS00017275。