Usability testing techniques were used to receive feedback on a prototype of the app, before starting the feasibility study. Patients were recruited from a large teaching hospital. The COPD app provided patients with an 8 week self-management program. The application had three views: timeline, information page, and contact page. The start date was each patients' date of discharge. The timeline was classified in 8 weeks, and each week included the lung exacerbation plan, daily and extra medication, information and education and questionnaires. The first week also included a video of a pulmonologist explaining the purpose of the app and additional information about the functionalities of the COPD app. The timeline consisted of the lung exacerbation action plan, medication overview, weekly questionnaires and monitoring, and consultations (video consultation after 4 weeks and face-to-face consultation after 8 weeks).
The objective of the study is to evaluate the effects of a mobile self-management app in clinical practice for recently discharged COPD patients on application use, self-management, anxiety and depression, expectations and experiences, patients' and health care professionals' satisfaction and hospital readmissions.