Telenursing in Chronic Respiratory Diseases

Abstract

Patients with long-term conditions such as chronic pulmonary diseases represent a major health-care problem for the public health-care systems. Among these conditions are the sleep apnea syndrome (SAS), neuromuscular diseases with respiratory involvement, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A recent study showed that over 27,000 people died from COPD in 2004 in the UK, and that caring for these patients represented a cost of 6.6 billion pounds for the UK national health-care system.⁷,⁸ The spiraling health-care budgets and the economic downturn we are facing in our days are forcing health-care providers to look for new cost-effective solutions to provide the best possible care. Information technology (IT) and particularly the new ways of delivering care remotely through telecare interventions seem to be a pivotal aspect in this question.¹⁹ IT can be implemented as web-based applications,⁹,¹⁰ mobile phone and alert systems,¹⁷,²³ or telephone and videoconferencing to be used with chronic patients who are at their homes.⁵,¹³

Glossary

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease –

A pulmonary condition caused by a combination of diseases including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and chronic obstructive airways disease. The main symptom is an inability to breathe in and out properly.

Cost-effective –

When related to health represents the relationship between a gain in health and the cost associated with the health gain.

Dyspnoea –

Breathing discomfort. It is a common symptom of many medical disorders, particularly those related to the respiratory or cardiovascular systems.

Homecare –

Health care or supportive care provided in the patient’s home by health-care professionals.

Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 –

A widely used, generic, patient-report measure created to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the general population.

Neuromuscular disease –

A broad term that includes many diseases that involve muscle and/or nerves.

Oximetry –

Monitoring the oxygenation of a patient’s hemoglobin.

Oxygen saturation –

The relative amount of oxygen that is carried in the blood.

Polygraph –

Instrument that records several physiological events.

Polysomnography –

A comprehensive recording of biomedical parameters during sleep.

Pulse oximeter –

Medical device used to measure the oxygen saturation of a patient’s blood.

Saint George Respiratory Questionnaire –

A standardized self-completed questionnaire for measuring impaired health and perceived well-being (“quality of life”) in airways disease.

Sleep apnea syndrome –

A disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. In obstructive sleep apnea, breathing is interrupted by a physical block to airflow, despite the effort to breathe.

Sphygmomanometer –

A device used to measure the blood pressure.

Spirometry –

Measurement of the volume and/or glow of air that can be inhaled or exhaled. It is the most common pulmonary function test.

Systems based on knowledge –

Intelligent tools working in a narrow domain to provide intelligent decisions with justification. Knowledge is acquired and represented using various knowledge representation techniques rules, frames, and scripts.

Telehealth –

Delivery of health-related services by means of telecommunication technologies.