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Digital Health for Copd Care: The Current State of Play Publisher



Ding H1, 2 ; Fatehi F1, 2, 3 ; Maiorana A4, 5 ; Bashi N1, 2 ; Hu W6 ; Edwards I7
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Australian e-Health Research Centre, CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Brisbane, Australia
  2. 2. Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
  3. 3. School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  4. 4. Allied Health Department and Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant Service, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, Australia
  5. 5. School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
  6. 6. School of Public Health and Social Work, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  7. 7. Department of Community Health, Peninsula Health, Melbourne, Australia

Source: Journal of Thoracic Disease Published:2019


Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) imposes a huge burden to our healthcare systems and societies. To alleviate the burden, digital health—“the use of digital technologies for health”—has been recognized as a potential solution for improving COPD care at scale. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of digital health interventions in COPD care. We accordingly reviewed recent and emerging evidence on digital transformation approaches for COPD care focusing on (I) self-management, (II) in-hospital care, (III) post-discharge care, (IV) hospital-at-home, (V) ambient environment, and (VI) public health surveillance. The emerging approaches included digital-technology-enabled homecare programs, electronic records, big data analytics, and environment-monitoring applications. The digital health approaches of telemonitoring, telehealth and mHealth support the self-management, post-discharge care, and hospital-at-home strategy, with prospective effects on reducing acute COPD exacerbations and hospitalizations. Electronic records and classification tools have been implemented; and their effectiveness needs to be further evaluated in future studies. Air pollution concentrations in the ambient environment are associated with declined lung functions and increased risks for hospitalization and mortality. In all the digital transformation approaches, clinical evidence on reducing mortality, the ultimate goal of digital health intervention, is often inconsistent or insufficient. Digital health transformation provides great opportunities for clinical innovations and discovery of new intervention strategies. Further research remains needed for achieving reliable improvements in clinical outcomes and cost-benefits in future studies. © Journal of Thoracic Disease. All rights reserved.