The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether the introduction of a short-term telemonitoring program for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients discharged from the hospital after disease exacerbation produces benefits in terms of a reduction in hospital readmissions and health related quality of life. In addition the trials evaluate the economical and organisational impact of the services and examine their acceptability by patients and health professionals.
The purpose of this study is to the evaluate the use of a close phone-based tele-monitoring platform will reflected by less hospital re-admissions, will change their generic and disease specific quality of life compared with usual care. Following this; it is also hypothesized that this will also lead to less patients' deaths. In addition the patients' satisfaction using the telemedicine service will be studied. A Cost-Effective Analysis will evaluate the tele-health service compared with the usual care from the health and social perspective.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
155
Within 24 hours after patient's discharge, the telemedicine equipment is installed at the patient's home and patients are trained in the use of the equipment. Patients are followed by a dedicated telehealth centre. Patients at home are asked to fill out each morning the CAT questionnaire and to record extra use of COPD relief medications. Patients in stable conditions perform telespirometry and teleoximetry at 4 and 12 weeks. When a clinical worsening is detected (increase in CAT score by 5 points or higher on two consecutive days) the patient is contacted and asked to perform ad hoc telespirometry and teleoximetry and to send the data to the telehealth centre.
Pulmonary Department - Regional University Hospital of Larisa
Larissa, Thessaly, Greece
Number of hospital readmissions
Number of hospital readmissions after the hospital discharged of the patient after a COPD exacerbation
Time frame: 3 months period
Health related quality of life of the patients as measured by the SF-36 version 2 questionnaire
Health related quality of life of the patients as measured by the SF-36 version 2 questionnaire
Time frame: 3 months - at the entry point of the intervention and the end.
Hospital anxiety and depression scale HADS
Hospital anxiety and depression scale HADS
Time frame: 3 months - at the entry point of the intervention and the end.
Health status, measured with the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire SGRQ
Health status, measured with the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire SGRQ
Time frame: 3 months - at the entry point of the intervention and the end.
Lung condition as measured by FEV1
Lung condition as measured by FEV1
Time frame: 1 month after the hospital discharge.
Mortality
Mortality
Time frame: 3 months period
Patients' Acceptance-Satisfaction measured by the WSD Questionnaire
Patients' Acceptance-Satisfaction of telemonitoring measured by the Whole System Demonstrators Questionnaire , for the intervention arm (telemonitoring)
Time frame: at the 3rd month of the tele-monitoring
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