Feasibility and Effects of KOL-webben - an Internet Based Health Promotion Tool Directed Towards People With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Staff in the Primary Health Care in Sweden

Pulmonary rehabilitation is a cornerstone in the management of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and includes self-management strategies and exercise training. Pulmonary rehabilitation has been shown to decrease dyspnea, improve physical capacity, level of physical activity and health-related quality of life. Traditionally patients with COPD have been treated at pulmonary or medical departments in hospitals. However, due to changes in the Swedish health system these patients now are mainly treated in primary care. Though, the pulmonary rehabilitation programs are still mainly offered by hospitals.

Our research group performed a survey in all hospitals treating patients with COPD in Sweden. The investigators found that less than a half percent of the COPD population took part in pulmonary rehabilitation in 2011. Moreover, a recent survey study performed in Swedish primary care settings found that physiotherapists were available for patients with COPD which is positive. However, only 10 % of the patients with COPD have had access to physiotherapy for their disease. Consequently there is an urgent need to find new strategies to facilitate the provision of pulmonary rehabilitation in the primary care and to provide to people with COPD.

The components included in pulmonary rehabilitation can be considered as health promotion intervention. Health promotion interventions are an important part of the primary care's assignment/mission in Sweden and in order to stress the responsibility for these interventions directed to people with COPD, we have chosen to use the term health promotion interventions instead of pulmonary rehabilitation. Even though there is strong scientific evidence for beneficial effects of health promoting interventions including physical exercise and self-management strategies, a very limited proportion of the people with COPD get access to such services in the primary care. There is an obvious need to find ways to implement available knowledge in clinical practice. Accordingly, KOL-webben is developed as a method (measure/tool) to implement evidence based health promotion interventions and to facilitate the delivery of such services to people with COPD. KOL-webben is also developed as a tool that will support self-management including health promotion among people with COPD.

The design of the explorative feasibility study will be an controlled study with a baseline assessment, delivery of the intervention during 3 months and a follow-up at two month after the completion of the delivery. In order to explore best practice, the usefulness and the effect of the intervention, the feasibility of the data collection and recruitment of people with COPD, a process evaluation will be carried out.Two primary health care units in the county council of Västerbotten in northern Sweden and four primary units in the county council of Dalarna in Mid Sweden will be included in the study. The units will represent both rural and urban settings.

KOL-webben is an interactive web-based system directed towards two target groups; people with COPD and health care professionals. The section directed towards people with COPD will provide tools that improve health literacy and thereby promote and enable a healthier lifestyle with a specific focus on 1) increased physical activity and 2) use appropriate self-management strategies. The tools include educational material, use of (e.g. texts, images, movies, web-links) and interactive components (e.g. ability to report steps per day and symptoms with feedback) adapted to the different stages of the disease. The section directed towards health care professionals includes tools that aim to improve the knowledge, attitudes and confidence in providing evidence based health promotion interventions. The tools include easily accessible knowledge and material (e.g. movies, screening tests, images, power point presentation for patient education and exercise programs).The control group will be recruited from the same health care units among listed patients with no planned visit within the 3 month intervention period. The control group will not receive any intervention.