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DIALOR (DIgitAL cOaching for fRailty): protocol for a single-arm mixed-methods feasibility study of a digital health coaching intervention for older people with frailty in primary care

Authors :
Katherine Bradbury
Sarah Thomas
Jane Murphy
Patrick Moore
Cheryl Davies
Dawn-Marie Walker
Matthew I Sait
Rachel A Christie
Chantel Cox
Michele Board
Cheryl O'Sullivan
Michael Vassallo
E A Sadler
Mark Allen-Pick
Source :
BMJ Open, Vol 14, Iss 5 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
BMJ Publishing Group, 2024.

Abstract

Background Multidomain interventions in older adults offer the best opportunity to prevent, delay or reverse existing symptoms in the earlier stages of frailty and improve independence but can be costly, and difficult to deliver at scale. However, digital health interventions enable personalised care and empowerment through self-management of long-term conditions, used at any time and when combined with health coaching offer the potential to enhance well-being and facilitate the achievement of health-related goals. We aim to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a digital health platform for long-term disease management combined with health coaching for people living with mild-moderate frailty, targeting self-identified goals—activity, nutrition, mood, enhancing social engagement and well-being.Methods and analysis This is a non-randomised feasibility, single-group, pretest/post-test study, using qualitative and quantitative methods. The digital health coaching intervention (DIALOR—DIgitAL cOaching for fRailty) has been developed for implementation to older adults, aged 65 years or older with mild to moderate frailty and diagnosis of one or more long-term health conditions in the community. Participants will receive 12 weeks of health coaching and have access to a mobile health platform for 6 months. The primary outcome measure is the acceptability and feasibility of DIALOR along with a range of secondary outcome measures (including frailty, functioning measures, quality of life, social engagement, diet quality and self-reported indicators) collected at baseline and at 6 months. The findings will inform whether a wider effectiveness trial is feasible and if so, how it should be designed.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been granted by the Southeast Scotland Research Ethics Committee 02 (reference: 22/SS/0064). Research findings will be disseminated in a range of different ways to engage different audiences, including publishing in open-access peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations, social media, dissemination workshop with patients, carers, and healthcare professionals and on institution websites.

Subjects

Subjects :
Medicine

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20446055
Volume :
14
Issue :
5
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
BMJ Open
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.30d3a002c2e451b9bd90952055185b8
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-080480