Global use, utility, and methods of tele-health in COPD: a health care provider survey

Abstract

Ahmed M Alrajeh,1,2 Yousef S Aldabayan,1,2 Abdulelah M Aldhair,1,3 Elisha Pickett,1 Shumonta A Quaderi,1 Jaber S Alqahtani,1,4 Marc Lipman,1 John R Hurst11UCL Respiratory, University College London, London, UK; 2Department of Respiratory Care, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Respiratory Care, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Respiratory Care, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dhahran, Saudi ArabiaIntroduction: Advances in technology offer various solutions that might help optimize the care provided to patients living with chronic non-communicable diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the efficacy of tele-health in COPD is still controversial. Despite this, there appears to be widespread adoption of this technology.Aim: To explore the international use of tele-heath for COPD, to assess the perceptions of clinicians employing tele-health in COPD, and to summarize the techniques that have been used by health care providers to personalize alarm limits for patients with COPD enrolled on tele-health programs.Methods: A cross-sectional survey consisting of 15 questions was distributed and advertised to health care professionals worldwide. Questions were designed to cover five different aspects of tele-health in COPD: purpose of use, equipment type, clinician perceptions, variables monitored, and personalization of alarm limits.Results: A total of 138 participants completed the survey from 29 different countries. As high as 59% of the participants had ever used tele-health for COPD, and 33% still provided tele-health services to patients with COPD. Tele-health was most commonly used for baseline monitoring, with 90% believing it to be effective. The three most commonly monitored variables were oxygen saturation, heart rate, and the use of rescue medication.Conclusion: Twenty-nine different countries use tele-health for managing COPD and therefore there is widespread international use of tele-health in COPD. The majority of providers thought tele-health was effective despite evidence to the contrary.Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, tele-health, home monitoring, alarm limits, perception

Keywords

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
• COPD
• tele-health
• home monitoring
• alarm limits
• perception