Trials volume 20 , Article number: Cite this article. Metrics details. Active self-management is a process where patients are fully engaged in managing their health in daily life by having access to contextualized health data and tailored guidance to support a healthy lifestyle. The intervention involves 1 use of a Fitbit-compatible web app to record and monitor their RA disease activity, symptoms, and time spent on physical activity and a Fitbit; 2 group education and individual counselling by a physiotherapist PT ; and 3 six phone calls with a PT.
The primary outcome measure is self-management ability measured by the Patient Activation Measure. Secondary outcome measures include disease status, fatigue, pain, depressive symptoms, and characteristics of habitual behavior and also time spent in physical activity and sedentary activity with a wearable multi-sensor device SenseWear Mini.
After the 6-month intervention, we will interview a sample of participants to examine their experiences with the intervention. The results of this study will help to determine whether this technology-enhanced self-management intervention improves self-management ability and health outcomes for people living with RA. A limitation of this study is that participants will need to self-report their symptoms, disease status, and treatment use through questionnaires on the OPERAS web app. The user-friendly interface, reminder emails from the research staff, and tailored guidance from PTs will encourage participants to actively engage with the app.
Date of last update in ClinicalTrials. Peer Review reports. Self-management is a key component of successful chronic disease management [ 1 ]. Broadly, it is a process where patients are actively participating in a variety of activities that contribute to lessening of the physical and emotional impact of their illness. Such activities include adhering to their treatment plan, being physically active, and seeking medical help when the treatment target is not met.
It is important to make self-management a priority as patients can benefit from learning about how their daily activities and treatments correlate with their symptoms and health status on an ongoing basis.
