Telehealth Monitoring in COPD and Difficult Asthma

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   Wales has higher rates of lung disease than other UK countries. The pandemic has had a particularly severe effect on the respiratory diagnostic (spirometry) services within Hywel Dda University Health Board (HDUHB) and ability to monitor vulnerable patients with chronic lung diseases in Primary and Secondary Care and community nurses.

   From April 2022 to January 2024, Respiratory Innovation Wales (RIW) collaborated with NuvoAir Ltd and HDUHB to implement and assess a home telemonitoring (HTM) service for patients with severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) who were already receiving optimal treatment. Key aims of the service are to improve health, wellbeing and enable users to monitor their condition in their own home alongside reducing A&E attendances and hospital stays.

   A total of fifty-five (55) patients were onboarded onto HTM with positive feedback received including: Spirometry easier to do at home than in a secondary care location Feeling more in control of health with home monitoring Increased motivation to exercise and stay fit HDUHB intend to continue with this service for a final one (1) year period as Respiratory Innovation Wales (RIW) have provided a key finding report for the trial to date which acknowledges that whilst there appears to be some impact on reducing A&E attendances & possible CDM home visits,

   this could have occurred through chance. Therefore, it is recommended that a larger evaluation of circa 200 patients is followed for at least one year to demonstrate impact on health care utilisation.