Long-term telerehabilitation of COPD patients in their homes: interim results from a pilot study in Northern Norway.
We investigated the feasibility of a long-term telerehabilitation service for COPD patients comprising exercise training at home, telemonitoring and education/self-management. The service was offered as a 2-year follow-up programme by a physiotherapist. Equipment included a treadmill, a pulse oximeter and a tablet computer. Participants had weekly videoconference sessions with the physiotherapist. A website was used to access a training programme and to fill in a daily diary and a training diary. Ten patients with moderate or severe COPD participated in a pilot study in Northern Norway. After more than one year, all participants were still participating actively and no drop-outs had occurred. On average, there were 2.0 training sessions/week, 3.3 measurements/week registered via the website and 0.5 videoconference contacts/week. There was a reduction of 27% in the COPD-related hospital costs. Feedback from the participants was very positive. Long-term telerehabilitation of COPD patients at home is feasible and interim results suggest that it reduces healthcare utilization.
Norwegian Centre for Integrated Care and Telemedicine, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
Paolo
P
Zanaboni
Linda Aarøen
LA
Lien
Audhild
A
Hjalmarsen
Richard
R
Wootton
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017721:Hospital Costs; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010865:Pilot Projects; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods*; D049269:Videoconferencing / Q000592:standards; D055815:Young Adult