Possibilities and prospects for the use of telemedicine technologies in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront the use of telemedicine in healthcare delivery during a public health emergency for remote patient assessment and care for patients already infected with coronavirus or those afraid of contracting COVID-19 through face-to-face contact. The need for telemedicine has increased during this period, including among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), who are at increased risk of infection and hospitalization.

The aim of this review was to study the feasibility and effectiveness of using various telemedicine methods in managing patients with COPD in terms of disease control and the impact of these interventions on changing patients’ behavior in terms of self-management of this pathology.

Results. The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically accelerated the use and rapid development of digital technologies, including in relation to patients with COPD. Short-term improvements in quality of life were noted in these patients with COPD, but it is unclear whether these are maintained in the long term, across multiple interventions, and for specific disease severity subgroups. However, digital interventions have little effect on COPD exacerbation rates. Depending on patient vulnerability and COPD severity, some patients may require individual care rather than group interventions.

Conclusion. Looking ahead, the challenge is to ensure that telemedicine remains relevant and that telemedicine visits are maintained beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. This poses specific communication challenges that healthcare professionals should be prepared to address. Additional research in this area will allow for more robust conclusions on the use of digital interventions and understanding the attitudes of different patient groups towards these new approaches to COPD care.

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