The Mobile Applications (APP) for Patient Education Has Promoted the Knowledge, Skills on the Wound Care and Reduced the Anxiety of Wound Care

1. Research design:

This study employed a single-blind experimental design. Study participants were randomized into the experimental and control groups. Participants in the experimental group used the mHealth App as intervention while those in the control group received normal verbal instructions. The levels of wound care knowledge, skills, and anxiety related to dressing change in the two groups were compared before intervention (T1), after intervention (T2), and before discharge (T3). 2. Study setting & samples:

The recruitment site of this study was conducted in a plastic surgery ward at a 1500-bed university hospital located in Southern of Taiwan. Samples were recruited either hospitalized patients or their primary caregivers from March to December 2016. Inclusion criteria were of Taiwanese nationality, were aged 20 years and above, had a wound classification score of 6-10 points according to Strauss (2000), required self-care of wound at home, and had a habit of using smartphones. Exclusion criteria included special care conditions, such as (1) other comorbidities (such as severe infection or severe compression injuries with comorbid open fractures) and (2) being a special patient, such as one with mental illness. Sample estimation based on the F test of MANOVA statistics was carried out using the G Power 3.1 software. Each group had at least 31 samples (effect size = 0.25, ∝ = 0.05, power = 0.85). A total of 76 participants satisfied the inclusion criteria for this study. There were 6 patients who were not willing to participate in this study; therefore, 35 participants were randomized enrolled in each of the experimental and control groups.