Association Between a Nurse-Led Mobile Health Intervention and Medication Adherence and Self-Management in Patients After Hair Transplantation: A Retrospective Cohort Study
- 1Department of Nursing, Hangzhou First People’s Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310000, People’s Republic of China
- 2Department of Plastic Surgery, Hangzhou First People’s Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310000, People’s Republic of China
Abstract
Background: Medication adherence after hair transplantation is vital for graft survival and alopecia control, yet adherence to these regimens remains low in routine practice. Nurse-led mHealth shows promise but lacks hair transplant evidence.
Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study included 200 patients undergoing FUE or FUT at a Chinese hair restoration center (January 2024–June 2025). Those enrolled in a nurse-led mHealth program (n=100) were compared with contemporaneous controls receiving standard care (n=100). Outcomes were extracted from electronic records and the mHealth database. The primary outcome was MARS-5-based medication adherence at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included self-management scores (SMS), DLQI, graft survival, complications, and satisfaction.
Results: At 6 months, the intervention cohort had higher MARS-5 scores than controls (21.55±3.00 vs 13.15±3.78; MD 8.40, 95% CI 7.45–9.35; P<0.001), and higher SMS (77.47±13.33 vs 52.02±14.28; P<0.001), lower DLQI (7.71±4.40 vs 13.98±4.90; P<0.001). High adherence rates were 68% vs 3% (P<0.001). Graft survival was superior (91.99±3.67% vs 87.37±4.87%; P<0.001). mHealth participation was the strongest predictor of adherence (beta=8.612, P<0.001); the association persisted after propensity-score inverse probability weighting (adjusted MD 8.64, 95% CI 7.63–9.65; P<0.001) and in mixed-effects repeated-measures models (cohort-by-time interaction P<0.001).
Conclusion: A multicomponent nurse-led digital follow-up program was associated with improved adherence, self-management, quality of life, and graft survival post-hair transplantation. These findings support prospective validation of such programs before routine integration into postoperative protocols.
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BibTeX
@article{xu2026association,
title = {{Association Between a Nurse-Led Mobile Health Intervention and Medication Adherence and Self-Management in Patients After Hair Transplantation: A Retrospective Cohort Study}},
author = {Lu Xu and Haihua Chen and Yali Wu and Shichang Liu and Li Ning},
journal = {Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2147/ccid.s646672},
url = {https://doi.org/10.2147/ccid.s646672},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Association Between a Nurse-Led Mobile Health Intervention and Medication Adherence and Self-Management in Patients After Hair Transplantation: A Retrospective Cohort Study
AU - Lu Xu
AU - Haihua Chen
AU - Yali Wu
AU - Shichang Liu
AU - Li Ning
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology
DO - 10.2147/ccid.s646672
UR - https://doi.org/10.2147/ccid.s646672
AB - Background: Medication adherence after hair transplantation is vital for graft survival and alopecia control, yet adherence to these regimens remains low in routine practice. Nurse-led mHealth shows promise but lacks hair transplant evidence. Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study included 200 patients undergoing FUE or FUT at a Chinese hair restoration center (January 2024–June 2025). Those enrolled in a nurse-led mHealth program (n=100) were compared with contemporaneous controls receiving standard care (n=100). Outcomes were extracted from electronic records and the mHealth database. The primary outcome was MARS-5-based medication adherence at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included self-management scores (SMS), DLQI, graft survival, complications, and satisfaction. Results: At 6 months, the intervention cohort had higher MARS-5 scores than controls (21.55±3.00 vs 13.15±3.78; MD 8.40, 95% CI 7.45–9.35; P<0.001), and higher SMS (77.47±13.33 vs 52.02±14.28; P<0.001), lower DLQI (7.71±4.40 vs 13.98±4.90; P<0.001). High adherence rates were 68% vs 3% (P<0.001). Graft survival was superior (91.99±3.67% vs 87.37±4.87%; P<0.001). mHealth participation was the strongest predictor of adherence (beta=8.612, P<0.001); the association persisted after propensity-score inverse probability weighting (adjusted MD 8.64, 95% CI 7.63–9.65; P<0.001) and in mixed-effects repeated-measures models (cohort-by-time interaction P<0.001). Conclusion: A multicomponent nurse-led digital follow-up program was associated with improved adherence, self-management, quality of life, and graft survival post-hair transplantation. These findings support prospective validation of such programs before routine integration into postoperative protocols.
SN - 1178-7015
ER -