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. 2024 May 16;14(5):e080480.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-080480.

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

Matthew I Sait  1 , Rachel A Christie  2 , Chantel Cox  2 , Michele Board  2 , Sarah Thomas  2 , Cheryl O'Sullivan  3 , Cheryl Davies  4 , Dawn-Marie Walker  5 , Michael Vassallo  6 , E A Sadler  7 , Mark Allen-Pick  2 , Patrick Moore  8 , Katherine Bradbury  9 , Jane Murphy  2
Affiliations

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

Matthew I Sait et al. BMJ Open. .

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.

Keywords: aging; chronic disease; frailty; health informatics; primary health care.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overview of the DIALOR intervention and its functionalities. CARE, Congratulate, Ask, Reassure, Encourage; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; DIALOR, DIgitAL cOaching for fRailty; LTC, long-term condition.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Proposed logic model. BMI, body mass index; EQ-5D-5L, EuroQol-5 dimensions-5 levels; FFQ, Food Frequency Questionnaire; IPAQ, International Physical Activity Questionnaire.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Process flow of study design. DIALOR, DIgitAL cOaching for fRailty; GP, general practitioner.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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