The Effects of a Respiratory Assistive Device Health Education Manual on Readmission Rates and Self-Care Efficacy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

November 8, 2026 updated by: Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital

This study evaluates whether adding an easy-to-read, illustrated education booklet to routine discharge planning helps patients and their family caregivers safely use home respiratory equipment.

Patients who need breathing devices after leaving the hospital often face challenges managing equipment and recognizing warning symptoms, which can lead to complications or hospital readmissions. Participants in this study are randomly assigned (by chance) to one of two groups: one group receives standard hospital discharge instructions, while the other group receives the standard instructions along with a specialized, step-by-step respiratory care booklet. Researchers will assess how prepared patients feel to return home the day before discharge, and will follow up by phone one week later to check on device use, daily care confidence, and any unexpected doctor or emergency room visits.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
80

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Hospitalized patients enrolled in the discharge planning service of Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital who are evaluated as requiring referral to respiratory assistive devices, long-term care services, or home respiratory care facilities/resources.
  • Evaluated and confirmed by the hospital healthcare team as in need of discharge planning services specifically related to respiratory assistive devices.
  • Aged 18 years or older.
  • Able to comprehend the study purpose and provide written informed consent (if the patient is unable to communicate or express consent, a primary caregiver may provide consent and complete responses on their behalf).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients receiving palliative or hospice care with an anticipated life expectancy of less than 1 month.
  • Patients with altered consciousness or dementia who do not have an eligible primary caregiver available to receive education and participate on their behalf.
  • Severe visual impairment or inability to comprehend Chinese text and pictorial materials.
  • Refusal to sign the written informed consent form despite meeting the inclusion criteria.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Experimental Group

Receives routine discharge planning supplemented with the structured respiratory assistive device health education manual.
Behavioral: Structured Discharge Educational Manual for Respiratory Assistive Devices

In addition to routine discharge planning, participants receive a structured, pictorial educational manual developed by the Division of Thoracic Medicine at Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital.

The manual comprises four structured modules:

  1. Patient triage for home mechanical ventilation, discharge planning workflow, respiratory assistive devices introduction, and operational precautions;
  2. Verification of eligibility and application procedures for medical assistive device subsidies provided by the New Taipei City Department of Health;
  3. Relevant information and documentation preparation for home respiratory care institutions for ventilator-dependent cases; and
  4. Long-term Care 2.0 application procedures and service introduction for eligible participants.
Other Names:
  • Pictorial Discharge Planning Manual for Home Respiratory Care
Active Comparator: Control Group

Receives routine discharge planning services, including standard oral education and device instructions.
Other: Routine Discharge Planning Service

Participants receive conventional hospital discharge planning care delivered by a discharge planning respiratory therapist. This includes verbal education, individual patient care need assessment, and standard operational guidance on prescribed respiratory assistive devices.

Other Names:
  • Standard Discharge Care

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale (RHDS) Score
Time Frame: 1 day prior to hospital discharge

Assessed using the Chinese version of the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale (RHDS). The scale consists of 23 items across four dimensions: personal status, knowledge, coping ability, and expected support. Item 1 is a dichotomous question ("Yes/No") regarding readiness for discharge, while the remaining 22 items are rated on an 11-point numeric scale ranging from 0 to 10 (with Items 3 and 6 reverse-scored). Higher total scores indicate a higher level of readiness for hospital discharge.
1 day prior to hospital discharge

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Home Readiness Score for Respiratory Assistive Devices
Time Frame: 1 week after hospital discharge

Measured using the Home Readiness Questionnaire for Respiratory Assistive Devices developed by the research team. It assesses 11 items covering three domains: equipment and service satisfaction, device knowledge and operation, and alarm management/emergency handling. Items are scored on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = very dissatisfied/unable to perform to 5 = very satisfied/independent). The final score is calculated as a percentage: 70-100% indicates excellent readiness, 40-69% indicates adequate readiness, and 0-39% indicates high risk requiring re-education.
1 week after hospital discharge
Assistive Technology Satisfaction Score (T-QUEST 2.0)
Time Frame: 1 week after hospital discharge

Evaluated using the Taiwanese version of the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (T-QUEST 2.0). The scale includes 8 items assessing satisfaction with the assistive device itself and 5 items evaluating satisfaction with related services, providing a comprehensive assessment of patient satisfaction with home respiratory assistive technology.
1 week after hospital discharge
Utilization Rate of Respiratory Assistive Devices
Time Frame: 1 week after hospital discharge

The proportion (percentage) of participants who consistently use the prescribed home respiratory assistive devices (e.g., oxygen therapy, nebulizers, suction units, or non-invasive ventilators) as instructed, assessed via telephone follow-up.
1 week after hospital discharge
Hospital Readmission Rate
Time Frame: At 7 days and 30 days post-discharge

The percentage of participants who experience an unplanned all-cause hospital readmission following index discharge.
At 7 days and 30 days post-discharge

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 9, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 23, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 23, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 29, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 10, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 8, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • FJUH115608

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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