Using preventive home monitoring to reduce hospital admission rates and reduce costs: a case study of telehealth among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 221-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birthe Dinesen ◽  
Lisa KE Haesum ◽  
Natascha Soerensen ◽  
Carl Nielsen ◽  
Ove Grann ◽  
...  

We studied whether preventive home monitoring of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) could reduce the frequency of hospital admissions and lower the cost of hospitalization. Patients were recruited from a health centre, general practitioner (GP) or the pulmonary hospital ward. They were randomized to usual care or tele-rehabilitation with a telehealth monitoring device installed in their home for four months. A total of 111 patients were suitable for inclusion and consented to be randomized: 60 patients were allocated to intervention and three were lost to follow-up. In the control group 51 patients were allocated to usual care and three patients were lost to follow-up. In the tele-rehabilitation group, the mean hospital admission rate was 0.49 per patient per 10 months compared to the control group rate of 1.17; this difference was significant ( P = 0.041). The mean cost of admissions was €3461 per patient in the intervention group and €4576 in the control group; this difference was not significant. The Kaplan-Meier estimates for time to hospital admission were longer for the intervention group than the controls, but the difference was not significant. Future work requires large-scale studies of prolonged home monitoring with more extended follow-up.

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 222-226
Author(s):  
Yan Yan ◽  
Li Liu ◽  
Jing Zeng ◽  
Liang Zhang

Objective: This study aims to improve the management quality of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in rural areas. Methods: Two hundred forty discharged COPD patients were divided into an intervention group and a control group. In the intervention group, 120 patients established contact with doctors through the network consulting room, i.e., the doctor’s mobile platform, and were managed through video, voice, and text by the doctors, kept close contact with the doctors after discharge (education, consultation), and received electronic prescriptions, and drugs were sent to the patients’ door by online retailers. The patients in the control group were managed in the traditional manner. One year later, the predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)%, FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC), and CAT scores and the number of rehospitalized patients were compared between these 2 groups. Results: After 1 year of follow-up, the predicted FEV1% and the FEV1/FVC ratio were significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (p < 0.05). CAT scores were lower for patients in the intervention group than for those in the control group after 1 year of follow-up (p < 0.05). After 1 year of follow-up, 22 (18.33%) patients were rehospitalized in the intervention group and 58 (48.33%) patients were rehospitalized in the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Doctors can improve the quality of life of patients with COPD and reduce the number of rehospitalizations through use of the network consulting room.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. e001921
Author(s):  
Max Oscar Bachmann ◽  
Eric D Bateman ◽  
Rafael Stelmach ◽  
Alvaro A Cruz ◽  
Matheus Pacheco de Andrade ◽  
...  

IntroductionThe Practical Approach to Care Kit (PACK) guide was localised for Brazil, where primary care doctors and nurses were trained to use it.MethodsTwenty-four municipal clinics in Florianópolis were randomly allocated to receive outreach training and the guide, and 24 were allocated to receive only the guide. 6666 adult patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were enrolled, and trial outcomes were measured over 12 months, using electronic medical records. The primary outcomes were composite scores of treatment changes and spirometry, and new asthma and COPD diagnosis rates.ResultsAsthma scores in 2437 intervention group participants were higher (74.8%, 20.4% and 4.8% with scores of 0, 1 and 2, respectively) than in 2633 control group participants (80.0%, 16.8% and 3.2%) (OR for higher score 1.32, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.61, p=0.006). Adjusted for asthma scores recorded in each clinic before training started, the OR was 1.24 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.50, p=0.022). COPD scores in 1371 intervention group participants (77.7%, 17.9% and 4.3% with scores of 0, 1 and 2) did not differ from those in 1181 control group participants (80.5%, 15.8% and 3.7%) (OR 1.21, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.55, p=0.142). Rates of new asthma and COPD diagnoses, and hospital admission, and indicators of investigation, diagnosis and treatment of comorbid cardiovascular disease, diabetes and depression, and tobacco cessation did not differ between trial arms.ConclusionPACK training increased guideline-based treatment and spirometry for asthma but did not affect COPD or comorbid conditions, or diagnosis rates.Trial registrationNCT02786030 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/).


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Kathrin Rausch Osthoff ◽  
Swantje Beyer ◽  
David Gisi ◽  
Spencer Rezek ◽  
Ariane Schwank ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Counselling is considered to be a promising approach to increasing physical activity (PA) in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of the current study was to investigate whether a PA counselling program for people with COPD, when embedded in a comprehensive outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program, increased their daily PA. Methods A two-armed, single blind randomized controlled trial was conducted as a component of a 12-week outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program. The participants randomized into the intervention group received five counselling sessions, based on the principles of motivational interviewing (MI), with a physiotherapist. The participants’ steps per day and other proxies of PA were measured using an accelerometer (SenseWear Pro®) at baseline, at the end of the PR program, and three months later. The group-by-time interaction effect was analyzed. Results Of the 43 participants,17 were allocated to the intervention group and 26 to the usual-care control group (mean age 67.9 ± 7.9; 21 (49%) males; mean FEV1 predicted 47.1 ± 18.6). No difference between groups was found for any measure of PA at any point in time. Conclusions In this study, counselling, based on MI, when embedded in a comprehensive PR program for people with COPD, showed no short-term or long-term effects on PA behavior. To investigate this potentially effective counselling intervention and to analyze the best method, timing and tailoring of an intervention embedded in a comprehensive outpatient PR program, further adequately powered research is needed. Trial registration: Clinical Trials.gov NCT02455206 (05/21/2015), Swiss National Trails Portal SNCTP000001426 (05/21/2015).


2019 ◽  
pp. 089719001986724
Author(s):  
Divita Singh ◽  
Germin Fahim ◽  
Hoytin Lee Ghin ◽  
Scott Mathis

Purpose: To analyze effect of pharmacist-conducted medication reconciliation on 30-day readmission rates in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and identify common medication errors among patient with readmissions. Methods: Pharmacists were educated on discharge medication reconciliation for patients with COPD. A retrospective chart review was conducted on patients who underwent pharmacist-conducted discharge medication reconciliation to determine 30-day readmissions. Medication errors analyzed included medication omissions and dose or frequency errors. Previously collected internal research without pharmacist-conducted medication reconciliation served as the control. Results: There were 65 patients in the control group and 50 in the intervention group. About 25% of patients in the control group and 26% of patients in the intervention group had any cause readmissions within 30 days of discharge ( P = .87). Both the control and the intervention group had similar COPD-related readmissions of 12.3% and 12.6%, respectively. Medication dose or frequency errors consisted of 68.9% and 46.7% of total errors in the control and the intervention groups, respectively. Long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) or long-acting beta 2-agonist (LABA) were the most common drug classes to be incorrectly dosed or omitted at discharge. In the intervention group, 30 errors were identified. Due to inability to coordinate discharges, pharmacists intervened on 13 errors, 7 of which were accepted by the prescriber. Conclusion: Pharmacist-conducted medication reconciliation at discharge did not affect 30-day readmission rates of patients with COPD. Confounding factors included a small sample size, passive pharmacist education, and discharge issues. The most common medication errors at discharge were dosing or frequency errors of LABAs or LAMAs.


2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Collin R. Beatty ◽  
Laura A. Flynn ◽  
Tracy J. Costello

Background: Inhaled medications are recommended as first-line treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and can reduce exacerbations and hospitalizations. Low health literacy is associated with poor inhaler technique. Objective: This study examined whether handouts written specifically for patients with low health literacy are more effective in showing patients how to use their medications when compared to standard education materials. Methods: A prospective, experimental study was performed at a community-based hospital. Patients included in the study were admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of COPD, taking at least 1 inhaled medication and identified as having low health literacy based on a Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine—Short Form. Low health literacy handouts were compared against the standard hospital educational materials for inhalers. Correct technique during each demonstration was evaluated using a standardized checklist. Results: Mean baseline scores for inhaler technique were 12.2 ± 2.2 steps correct for the control group and 13.4 ± 1.3 for the low health-literacy group of the 18 maximum points ( P = nonsignificant). The mean change in inhaler technique score for the control group was 1.0 ± 1.8, while the mean change in inhaler technique score for the low health-literacy group was 2.1 ± 2.7 ( P = .03).


Author(s):  
Masume Shahpasand ◽  
Ali Mohammadpour ◽  
Samane Najafi ◽  
Mansooreh Sobhani

Background & Aim: Fatigue is one of the most prevalent symptoms among people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Heat therapy is considered as one of the proposed methods to relieve the symptoms in these patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of local heat therapy on fatigue among patients with COPD. Methods & Materials: This randomized controlled clinical trial study was conducted on 46 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease referred to Allameh Bohlool Hospital in Gonabad, Iran in 2019. The participants were selected according to the inclusion criteria and were then randomly assigned to the two groups of intervention and placebo. Local packs were placed on the anterior of the chest twice a day for 23 minutes and for five days among the participants of both groups. The hot pack was 50ºC for the patients in the intervention group, but it was equal to body temperature in the placebo group. The severity of fatigue was once measured before the intervention and then one day after the final intervention in both groups. The demographic information form and Krupp fatigue severity scale were used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics and chi-square, MannWhitney, and Wilcoxon tests were used to analyze the data. Besides, the level of significance was considered at least 0.05. Results: The results indicated that the two groups were homogenous in terms of demographic information and the type of disease (P>0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the mean score of fatigue before the intervention in the experimental and placebo groups (P=0.9). However, the mean score of fatigue decreased significantly among the intervention group patients compared to those in the placebo group (P<0.001) after the intervention. There was also a significant difference between the two groups in the mean score of fatigue before and after the intervention (P<0.01). Conclusion: According to the results, topical heat therapy is effective in reducing fatigue among patients with COPD, but it is recommended to conduct further studies before the implementation of this approach.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riad Alharbey ◽  
Samir Chatterjee

BACKGROUND Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) comprises a group of progressive diseases that deteriorate lung functions. When patients cannot breathe, nothing else in their lives matter. Breathlessness has negative implications on patients’ lives, which leads to physical and psychological limitations. Moreover, the lack of relevant and updated information about the causes and consequences of the disease can exacerbate the problems of health literacy, information accessibility, and medical adherence. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to design an innovative mobile health (mHealth) app system called “MyLung” that provides complete solutions in order to increase self-awareness and promote better self-care management. This system, an information technology artifact, includes three novel integrative modules: education, risk reduction, and monitoring. METHODS The utility and effectiveness of the assistive mobile-based technology were evaluated using a mixed-methods approach. The study combined quantitative and qualitative research methods to thoroughly understand how the assistive mobile-based technology can influence patients’ behavioral intention to change their lifestyle. Thirty patients were categorized into two groups (intervention group and control group). RESULTS The results from the quantitative analysis led to four follow-up interviews in the qualitative study. The results of the quantitative study provided significant evidence to show that the design of MyLung leads to a change in the awareness level, self-efficacy, and behavioral intention for patients with COPD. The t tests revealed a significant difference before and after using the mobile-based app with regard to the awareness level (mean 3.28 vs 4.56; t10=6.062; P<.001), self-efficacy (mean 3.11 vs 5.56; t10=2.96; P=.01), and behavioral intention (mean 2.91 vs 4.55; t10=3.212; P=.009). Independent sample t tests revealed significant differences between the intervention group and the control group in terms of the awareness level (mean 4.56 vs 3.31; t19=4.80; P<.001) and self-efficacy (mean 5.56 vs 3.66; t19=2.8; P<.01). Integration of findings from quantitative and qualitative studies reveled the impact of the design in a comprehensive manner. These inferences are referred to as “meta-inferences” in this study. CONCLUSIONS We designed an innovative assistive mobile-based technology to empower patients with COPD, which helped increase awareness and engage patients in self-care management activities. The assistive technology aims to inform patients about the risk factors of COPD and to improve access to relevant information. Meta-inferences that emerge from the research outputs contribute to research into chronic management information systems by helping us gain a more complete understanding of the potential impacts of this proposed mobile-based design on patients with chronic disease.


Author(s):  
Mohammad Hashemian ◽  
Atefeh Fakharian ◽  
Reyhaneh Zahiri ◽  
Esmaeil Mortaz ◽  
Mohammad Reza Masjedi

Background: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an airway obstructive disease that is often caused by smoking. The disease is currently the third leading cause of death worldwide. The current therapeutic approach is based on Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV) therapy, which can reduce mortality, the need for hospitalization in the intensive care unit, and to some extent therapeutic complications. Therefore, this study was performed to determine the effect of non-invasive ventilation along with routine treatments on respiratory markers, inflammation, and clinical status of patients with COPD. Methods: A total of 30 patients with COPD referred to Masih Daneshvari Hospital were divided into control and intervention groups. In the intervention group, 15 patients underwent non-invasive ventilation in addition to the usual treatments, and in the control group, the patients underwent only the usual treatments. After completing the mMRC (Modified Medical Research Council) questionnaire and evaluating FEV1 (Forced Expiratory Value in one score), 5 ml of blood samples were taken from these patients at the beginning of the study, on the seventh to tenth day, and also in the third month, and the results of this evaluation were compared between the two groups. Results: Based on the results of this study, the mMRC score of the intervention group was significantly lower than the control group in the first week (p=0.043) and three months after treatment (p=0.049). However, indices such as FEV1, and IL-8(Interleukin-8) did not change significantly in both groups. Conclusion: The use of non-invasive mechanical ventilation along with standard treatments can play a relative role in improving patient outcomes.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1572
Author(s):  
Salvatore Sotgia ◽  
Alessandro G. Fois ◽  
Panagiotis Paliogiannis ◽  
Ciriaco Carru ◽  
Arduino A. Mangoni ◽  
...  

This study aimed to review and critically appraise the current methodological issues undermining the suitability of the measurement of serum/plasma glutathione, both in the total and reduced form, as a measure of systemic oxidative stress in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Fourteen relevant articles published between 2001 and 2020, in 2003 subjects, 1111 COPD patients, and 892 controls, were reviewed. Nine studies, in 902 COPD patients and 660 controls, measured glutathione (GSH) in the reduced form (rGSH), while the remaining five, in 209 COPD patients and 232 controls, measured total GSH (tGSH). In the control group, tGSH ranged between 5.7 and 7.5 µmol/L, whilst in COPD patients, it ranged between 4.5 and 7.4 µmol/L. The mean tGSH was 6.6 ± 0.9 µmol/L in controls and 5.9 ± 1.4 µmol/L in patients. The concentrations of rGSH in the control group showed a wide range, between 0.47 and 415 µmol/L, and a mean value of 71.9 ± 143.1 µmol/L. Similarly, the concentrations of rGSH in COPD patients ranged between 0.49 and 279 µmol/L, with a mean value of 49.9 ± 95.9 µmol/L. Pooled tGSH concentrations were not significantly different between patients and controls (standard mean difference (SMD) = −1.92, 95% CI −1582 to 0.0219; p = 0.057). Depending on whether the mean concentrations of rGSH in controls were within the accepted normal range of 0.5–5.0 µmol/L, pooled rGSH concentrations showed either a significant (SMD = −3.8, 95% CI −2.266 to −0.709; p < 0.0001) or nonsignificant (SMD = −0.712, 95% CI −0.627 to 0.293; p = 0.48) difference. These results illustrate the existing and largely unaddressed methodological issues in the interpretation of the serum/plasma concentrations of tGSH and rGSH in COPD.


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