Telemonitoring of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Portugal: a case study

Abstract

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common, preventable, and treatable disease, defined by persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. Acute COPD episodes dramatically impact patients’ quality of life and are a significant burden on healthcare systems. The remote monitorization of COPD patients enables prompt clinical intervention whenever needed, preventing acute episodes and delaying disease progression. Here we present the results from a tele-monitoring initiative for COPD patients, following a national multi-centre pilot study funded by the Shared Services of Ministry of Health (SPMS, Portugal), with 130 patients enrolled. The remote assessment of these patients allowed for the timely intervention in the management of acute episodes and yielded significant improvements for the number of emergency episodes, hospital admissions, days of hospitalization and costs. Moreover, results from a satisfaction questionnaire conducted in 2019 releveled high satisfaction levels among all users. Data on COPD patients’ tele-monitoring effectiveness through the COVID-19 pandemic was also collected. In conclusion, the tele-monitoring system for COPD patients herein reported significantly improved value-based healthcare, representing a valuable tool for other chronic diseases whenever clinically feasible.