Randomization
RECRUITMENT
Recruited patients were randomly assigned to one of the three treatment groups using a block randomization with a block size of six. A statistician created the blocks in sets of six using Excel software, resulting in 35 sets of different states (e.g., BBCAAC, BCAACB, CCAABB). The letters A, B, and C represented each of the three intervention groups, and each set of six random codes was placed in a sealed envelope. In recruitment phase, an envelope was randomly selected and the patients were assigned to one of the study groups based on the order of the letters (Fig. 
Consort diagram: recruitment, eligibility screening, randomization, follow-up, and analysis