Design and participants
hearing, visual, or cognitive problems, death, COPD
COPD, CHRONIC DISEASES
This randomized controlled field trial was conducted in 2021–2022. The study setting was Khorshid comprehensive respiratory care clinic in Isfahan, Iran, and the study population consisted of all FCs of patients with COPD who were referred to the PR unit of this clinic. Sampling was purposefully performed, and eligibility criteria were age of 18–65 years; having a caregiver live with the patient; basic literacy skills; access to the Internet and smartphone; ability to use a smartphone; no hearing, visual, or cognitive problems; agreement for participation in the study; and history of caregiving to a patient with COPD for at least 6 months. The exclusion criteria were reluctance to stay in the study, more than two absences from the intervention sessions, having other chronic diseases along with COPD in patients, inability to access the Internet or smartphone, and death of FC or patient during the study.Based on the results of a previous study [Sample size calculation