Participants
respiratory diseases, respiratory failure, chronic respiratory failure, cognitive impairment
RESPIRATORY DISEASE, RESPIRATORY FAILURE, DISEASE, CHRONIC RESPIRATORY FAILURE
The study participants included patients with chronic respiratory failure who received NPPV and attended respiratory outpatient clinics from September 2017 to September 2018. The inclusion criteria were as follows: chronic respiratory failure due to respiratory diseases; NPPV support; state of respiratory failure lasting more than 1 month with a partial pressure of arterial blood carbon dioxide >45 mmHg; no specific disease and, therefore, cannot be staged; age ≥20 years; ability to use a tablet device. The exclusion criteria were as follows: inability to communicate due to cognitive impairment; inability to speak Japanese; non-attendance at respiratory outpatient clinics.The average number of hospitalizations among NPPV practitioners in Japan was 2.0 times/year, and it was assumed that the average number of hospitalizations would improve by 0.25 times/ three months. The required sample size was calculated with a significance level of 5%, a power of 80%, and a standard deviation of the assumed average number of hospitalizations of 0.25 times/ three months. As a result, the intervention and control groups were set at 15 participants each.