Table 1 Behavior change techniques, definition, and content of the application
Techniques used | Definition | Content |
|---|---|---|
Provision of general information | General information about the behavioral risks and unfavorable consequences of misbehaviors This technique is used to raise patients’ awareness of the perceived risk of the disease | Definition of disease (basics and facts) Symptoms of apnea Risk factors of apnea Short explanation of the diagnosis and treatment procedures Healthy sleep habits PAP therapy (treatment with positive air pressure) |
Provision of information about consequences | Information about the benefits, costs and outcomes of showing or not showing a certain behavior | Consequences of apnea Benefits of using CPAP in preventing diseases and accidents Benefits of using CPAP for health and well-being Adverse effects of using the device |
Encouragement to act as required | Encouraging someone to decide to act (behavior change) or set a goal to access behavior change | Score of the extent to which the device is used |
Barrier identification | Identifying the barriers to showing a certain behavior and planning to overcome them | Side effects and how to avoid them List of non-adherent patients’ problems and solutions |
Destined action | Acknowledging or rewarding someone for the attempts and performance | Feedback message |
Task and duty setting | Setting small tasks and duties to change a behavior and increasing the difficulty level to reach the desired behavior | Issues with using the device (the patient is provided with recommendations to get used to the device gradually) |
Giving instructions | Giving instructions on planning and implementing desired healthy behaviors | Side effects of using CPAP and how to solve them Introducing the equipment used Replacing the equipment Cleaning the equipment Troubleshooting and solving issues with the device How to use the device while travelling |
Behavior modeling or showing | Displaying how to behave appropriately to a patient by a specialist | Making videos to include: Reduced volume of device Increased ease of mask Mask maintenance Solving the mask leakage problem Cleaning the equipment |
Feedback provision | Providing feedback to someone on the recorded behavior and evaluating it against a set of standards or others’ performance | A report on performance within the past week A report on overall performance Comparison of actual and expected performance based on standards |