title: Telemedicine in COPD: time to pause.
abstract: There is increasing interest in the use of telemedicine to assist in the management of chronic diseases. Telemedicine possibilities for patients with COPD include medical consultations, in-home patient monitoring, and remote rehabilitation. Teleconsultations have been used successfully, saving time and travel costs for patients with only a few subsequently requiring face-to-face visits. Despite many reports, the impact of telemonitoring on the detection of exacerbations, reductions in health-care utilization, and cost savings is equivocal. Given the health-care costs and commitment involved in telemonitoring, well-designed longer-term multicenter studies with appropriate follow-up are required prior to its more widespread application. Emerging evidence from preliminary trials of telerehabilitation for the pulmonary patient is encouraging. It may represent a useful tool for increasing access and building capacity, especially in remote areas.
authors.affiliation: West Park Healthcare Centre and University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. Electronic address: rgoldstein@westpark.org.
authors.forename: Roger S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.affiliation: West Park Healthcare Centre and University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Sachi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: O'Hoski
mesh_terms: D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000191:economics; D019114:Remote Consultation; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000458:organization & administration*