Human Support and Personal Pilots
Trained professionals functioning as personal pilots had 2 main functions. First, they guided patients through the study process in a mainly synchronous but partially also asynchronous way over the phone and via email. Each patient was assigned a personal pilot who was available throughout their study participation. The pilots reminded the patients of the questionnaires, arranged the inpatient assessment in the IG, and provided recommendations and help for the asynchronous digital interventions.Second, the pilots empowered the patients in their individual approaches to cope with their PACS to enable them in finding the best-possible treatment. To achieve this, the pilots contacted all patients weekly in the beginning and biweekly during the digital interventions to reflect on the process, review the patients’ needs, and work together on options for future care. The pilots also motivated the patients to identify and access further diagnostic and therapy options, as well as engage in activities of daily living, while pacing themselves to foster recovery. All pilots were either qualified psychologists, health scientists, or health care professionals (eg, physiotherapists) and were trained in motivational interviewing [