NCT07376187

Digital Physiotherapy for Pediatric Chronic Suppurative Lung Diseases

Digital Physiotherapy Services in the Management of Pediatric Chronic Suppurative Lung Diseases: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 32 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Thessaly · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 6 Years – 12 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This is a prospective, single-center, two-arm (1:1), assessor-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial that will be conducted in collaboration with the outpatient clinic of the third Pediatric Pulmonology Unit, "Attikon" University Hospital of Athens in Greece. The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of applying digital physiotherapy services in the management of specific clinical outcomes in children with chronic suppurative lung diseases, other than cystic fibrosis. The research question is whether airway clearance techniques and exercise training that are performed remotely using digital health services (DHSs) can improve functional and exercise capacity, as well as compliance with ACTs, compared to usual care. The intervention program includes airway clearance techniques (ACTs), as well as aerobic and strengthening exercises that can be implemented easily in an online setting at home with minimal equipment. The duration of the program will be 12 weeks, and the prescribed weekly regimen will consist of 50-minute remote sessions: two synchronous, supervised sessions conducted via the Vsee platform, and a minimum of one asynchronous, unsupervised session. Children will be encouraged to maintain daily adherence to the exercise protocol.

Detailed description

This is a prospective, single-center, two-arm (1:1), assessor-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial that will be conducted in collaboration with the outpatient clinic of the third Pediatric Pulmonology Unit, "Attikon" University Hospital of Athens in Greece. The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of applying digital physiotherapy services in the management of specific clinical outcomes in children with chronic suppurative lung diseases, other than cystic fibrosis. The collection of medical history will be conducted via a 40-minute synchronous videoconference session. Children will be randomized into parallel arms: the digital health services group (DHSG) and the control group (CG). All children will receive usual care, including inhaled antibiotics and/or bronchodilators for respiratory infections, alongside recommendations to maintain regular physical activity and to perform ACTs. Furthermore, all child-parent/caregiver dyads will attend a 40-minute, in-person session with the physiotherapist at the outpatient clinic. This session is designed to provide standardized training on airway clearance techniques (ACTs) for subsequent implementation at home. The DHSG will undergo a 12-week home-based hybrid (synchronous and asynchronous), remotely administered exercise program and ACTs. Likewise, the DHSG will have access to a specifically designed website about disease management (www.fysao.gr). The intervention program includes airway clearance techniques (ACTs), as well as aerobic and strengthening exercises that can be implemented easily in an online setting at home with minimal equipment. The prescribed weekly regimen will consist of 50-minute remote sessions: two synchronous, 1:1 supervised sessions conducted via videoconferencing, and a minimum of one asynchronous, unsupervised session. All outcome measures will be assessed at the following time points: baseline (before the intervention), the end of the intervention (12 weeks), and follow-up (6 months after the intervention has ended). All clinical assessments will be conducted in-person at the outpatient clinic by blinded healthcare professionals. Changes from baseline in functional and exercise capacity, compliance with ACTs, respiratory and peripheral muscle strength, physical activity and sedentary behavior, as well as quality of life, will be assessed at 3 and 6 months for both groups.

Conditions

• Chronic Suppurative Lung Disease
• Protracted Bacterial Bronchitis
• Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD)
• Non Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Videoconferencing (Vsee platform)	The prescribed weekly regimen will consist of 50-minute remote sessions: two synchronous, supervised sessions conducted via the Vsee platform, and a minimum of one asynchronous, unsupervised session. Children will perform ACTs (including individualized teaching and review of postural drainage, percussion, vibration, ACTs devices, huffing, coughing), diaphragmatic breathing, and blowing games. During the synchronous, supervised videoconference sessions, they will be monitored/supervised by the pediatric physiotherapist. The exercise program will be based on the 24-letter Greek alphabet, where each letter represents an individual aerobic or strengthening exercise. The exercise program consists of 16 exercises per session, varied on the four-letter words chosen at a time. At each session, a combination of four words will be performed. The exercise program will last 25 to 30 minutes per session. The exercise workload will be equal to 60 - 70% of maximum heart rate.
DEVICE	Specially designed website (FysΑΩ)	The DHSG will be granted access to a website (www.fysao.gr) for disease management, including information about common symptoms, nutrition, pharmacological treatment, exercise, and ACTs performance. To facilitate adherence and longitudinal monitoring, the DHSG will receive automated weekly reminders for ACTs and exercise performance. Through the web portal's integrated evaluation forms, children can report daily symptomatology and track any clinical fluctuations. All the ACTs and the exercise program have been digitized as high-definition videos and images, ensuring asynchronous accessibility for the DHSG. Furthermore, the platform facilitates secure communication, enabling children and their parents/caregivers to communicate with healthcare professionals via integrated email or direct document transmission.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-05-01
• Primary completion: 2027-12-31
• Completion: 2028-08-31
• First posted: 2026-01-29
• Last updated: 2026-01-30

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Greece