Feasibility of a telecare solution for patients admitted with COPD exacerbation: screening data from a pulmonary ward in a university hospital

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, the prevalence of COPD is increasing, and it places an increasing burden on health care systems worldwide. Therefore, there is a growing interest in home telecare solutions that can help patients manage their disease at home and thereby possibly reduce the risk of readmission. PURPOSE: The primary aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of a telehealth care solution when offered in connection with discharges from a pulmonary ward at a university hospital. Secondary aims are to assess the reasons for the exclusion of patients, and the reasons for patients not consenting to participate, as well as to identify the predictors for consenting or not consenting among the subgroup of eligible patients. METHODS: In this study, all data in the screening log were collected over a period of 10 months. RESULTS: A total of 462 patients admitted with an acute exacerbation in COPD (AECOPD) were screened. Almost 70% of the patients were excluded, and 49% of the eligible patients did not consent. Thus, only 15.6% of the screened patients were included. No significant differences were found regarding known risk factors of readmission between the eligible patients, who were included, and those who did not consent. The only significant difference was that more patients in the group that consented are being followed up in our outpatient clinic, notably 84% versus 55.7% (p<0.001), suggesting that this telehealthcare solution is 25 more appealing to those patients who are already being followed up in the outpatient clinic. CONCLUSION: These findings emphasize the importance of designing telecare solutions that allow for the inclusion of the actual population of patients admitted with AECOPD.