Use of a SmartPhone/Tablet-Based Bidirectional Telemedicine Disease Management Program Facilitates Early Detection and Treatment of COPD Exacerbation Symptoms.

INTRODUCTION: Early treatment of worsening chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) symptoms speeds recovery, improves quality of life, and reduces the need for hospitalization. Patients may fail to recognize worsening symptoms leading to delays in treatment. A telemedicine application could facilitate detection and treatment of worsening symptoms. To work, such an application requires consistent use by patients and quick responses from healthcare providers. We conducted a quality assurance assessment of our system to see if we were meeting these goals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty patients were provided a smartphone application for daily COPD symptom reporting. Reports between November 2012 and September 2013 were reviewed. Symptoms reports and interventions were time-stamped by the application. Adherence reporting was calculated as the number of reports made divided by the number of days enrolled in the program for each patient. Time to intervention was calculated as the time a report was submitted to the time a treatment recommendation was sent to the patient. RESULTS: There were 4,434 symptom reports made over 5,178 patient-days of observation for an average reporting compliance of 85.6%. Median reporting compliance was 90.7% (interquartile range, 83.8-98%). Four hundred seventy-five symptom reports resulted in an alert. The average response time for all alerts was 6.64 h, with a median response time of 5.75 h. CONCLUSIONS: From this quality assessment we were able to conclude that patient adherence to the reporting system exceeded 90% for over half of the participants. Furthermore, over 50% of worsening COPD symptom reports were responded to in less than 6 h with patient-specific treatment recommendations.

Markers of Dental Health Correlate with Daily Respiratory Symptoms in COPD.

Background: Poor dental health occurs in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); some evidence suggests that it may correlate with lower forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and 6-minute walk distance, and an increased rate of exacerbations. However, there is no data that examines how dental health may impact the daily respiratory symptoms that COPD patients experience. We prospectively studied indices of dental health and hygiene in patients with COPD and determined their impact on daily respiratory symptoms. Methods: A total of 20 individuals with COPD (median [interquartile range (IQR)] % FEV1 37 [29-43]) and 10 healthy control individuals with no lung disease were recruited. Dental questionnaires, spirometry, and a dental examination were administered on their initial visit. COPD participants were given an electronic COPD daily diary to document peak expiratory flow and the presence and magnitude of daily breathlessness, cough, sputum production, and wheeze. Results: Compared to healthy controls, COPD participants had less teeth (median 16.5 versus 28, p=0.0001), a trend to a higher plaque index (median 2.2 versus 1.7, p=0.15), and worse oral health-related quality of life (median Oral Health Impact Profile score 12.0 versus 4.5, p=0.02). A greater number of teeth correlated with higher percentage of days with cough (r=0.48, p<0.05) and wheeze (r=0.47, p<0.05). Conclusion: Individuals with severe COPD have poor oral hygiene and oral health-related quality of life. In the setting of poor dentition, a greater number of teeth correlates with more daily respiratory symptoms. More teeth may create a larger reservoir for inflammatory proteins and pathogenic bacteria to be aspirated into the airways.