As clinicians and those who fund health care attempt to increase access and build capacity, approaches that can facilitate care without additional patient travel are of great interest. The symposium “Tele-Technology in the Management of COPD” from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in 11 A-B (Upper Level) San Diego Convention Center, will explore the growing role of tele-technology for patients with chronic respiratory disease.
“There is an increasing awareness that the successful deployment of technology can help improve care for patients with chronic respiratory diseases and reduce the burden on health care providers,” says Sally Singh, PhD, professor of pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation and a consultant clinical scientist at the University Hospitals of Leicester, England. “The symposium is important to encourage an objective evaluation of the data available to date, examine where technology has been deployed in the context of randomized controlled trials, and discuss where and how these technologies may be best used.”
Dr. Singh is co-moderator with Roger Goldstein, MBChB, professor of medicine and director of respiratory rehabilitation in the Division of Respiratory Medicine, University of Toronto. The symposium has been organized by the Assemblies on Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Clinical Problems, and Nursing.
During the symposium, attendees will gain new approaches to patient management using telehealth technology for consultation, monitoring, and management of patients with chronic respiratory conditions, all of which have the potential to reduce disparities of care, build capacity, and extend access.
Speakers will emphasize three main innovative areas: tele-consultation, tele-monitoring, and tele-rehabilitation. Presentations include:
- “Exploring Telemonitoring in COPD: A Mixed Methods Approach”
- “Practicalities and Challenges When Conducting Home Telehealth in Patients with Severe COPD”
- “Real-Time Telehealth for COPD Self-Management Using Skype”
- “Using Telehealth Technology to Deliver Pulmonary Rehabilitation in COPD”
- “Learning from Experience with Other Diseases,” and “Next Steps in Tele-Technology and Patient Care”
“We anticipate that clinicians will understand the current scientific data available and be able to describe the use of technology for patients with chronic respiratory disease,” Dr. Singh says. “The symposium not only will cover clinical effectiveness data, but also patients’ perceptions of technology and how valuable interventions might be. We also will look to see where technology has been employed in other disease areas and consider what we might learn from this.”