Telehealth Monitoring in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

The Efficacy of Telehealth Monitoring in the Management of Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

The the aim of this study is to determine the benefits of Telehealth monitoring in the management of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major burden on healthcare systems worldwide. The current management of patients with COPD includes well established interventions such as pulmonary rehabilitation and inhaled therapies which have demonstrated variable impact on reducing rates of exacerbation and improving health related quality of life.

Telehealth is a home monitoring system used to record clinical observations and carry out question and answer sessions. It has been proposed that Telehealth medicine may offer an alternative strategy to the overall management of these patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• clinical diagnosis of moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• a minimum of two: Emergency Department admissions; hospital admissions or emergency GP contacts in the 12 months previous to the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• any respiratory disorder other than COPD
• patients cognitively unable to learn the process of monitoring