Abstract
AB004. A home telemonitoring program for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema
Foteini Malli1, Efstathia-Petrina Smyrli2, Christos Panagopoulos2, Andreas Menychtas2,3, Ilias Maglogiannis4, Aikaterini Georgountzou2, Laila Sicha1, Panayiotis Tsanakas3, Zoe Daniil1, Konstantinos I. Gourgoulianis1
1Respiratory Medicine Department, University of Thessaly Medical School, University Hospital of Larissa, Larissa, Greece;2BioAssist S.A., Patras, Greece;3School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece;4Department of Digital Systems, University of Piraeus, Piraeus, Greece
Background: Homecare and home telemonitoring are a focal point of emerging healthcare schemes, with possible benefits for patients with chronic lung diseases, especially when complications occur. The aim of the present study was home monitoring of pulmonary fibrosis patients.
Methods: Each patient was provided with an Android tablet with the mobile application pre-installed (“Heartaround”), as well as Bluetooth-enabled pulse oximeter and blood pressure meter. Patients were instructed by their attending doctor to perform daily measurements of oxygen saturation and blood pressure and through the preinstalled application measurements were automatically stored in the electronic health record of each patient and made accessible to the attending physician. The patients’ enrollment in the pilot study did not substitute or affect in any way the patients’ schedule of regular visits to the clinic. In case of emergency, patients could contact the service’s helpdesk, with a single touch, to receive assistance and medical advice or they could use the application for social contacts.
Results: A total of 20 patients have been recruited in the pilot study that lasted for 6 months. Six of the patients were female and 14 were male. Fifteen patients suffered from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and five patients from combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. The mean age of the patients was 67.6±8.4 years. Mean FVC(%pred) was 70.77±17.39 and DLCO(%pred) was 40.23±19.88. Six of the patients received long-term oxygen therapy at home. Three patients died during the study period. All patients were consistently adherent to their measurements schedule. Approximately 70% of the participants were able to use the system with confidence even without support. Within these 6 months, a total of three medical emergencies occurred.
Conclusions: In this work, we have presented the utilization of a homecare platform for remote monitoring of patients with pulmonary fibrosis. Most patients—even those of greater age or those with limited familiarity with technology—are capable of using the system confidently, without major difficulty or need for constant support.
Keywords: Emphysema; homecare program; idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
doi: 10.21037/atm.2016.AB004
Cite this abstract as: Malli F, Smyrli EP, Panagopoulos C, Menychtas A, Maglogiannis I, Georgountzou A, Sicha L, Tsanakas P, Daniil Z, Gourgoulianis KI. A home telemonitoring program for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. Ann Transl Med 2016;4(22):AB004. doi: 10.21037/atm.2016.AB004
