Abstract
Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) experience frequent exacerbations and hospital readmissions. Early hospital discharge schemes have been proved effective and safe approaches for suitable patients. Forty-eight (n=48) COPD patients were included in a randomized control trial (ratio 1:1), after their hospital admission due to an acute exacerbation. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether they could be early discharged and successfully continue their treatment at home, assisted by the use of wearable systems. Study group patients were discharged early (3rd-5th day) and monitored at home through the wearable “Healthwear” system while control group patients underwent conventional care. Intervention patients intensive home monitoring included ECG, heart and respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, activity and body position, combined with 3G mobile video sessions. The results indicated a significant reduction of in-hospital days, outpatient clinic and emergency room visits, as well as in readmission rates. Wearable systems that allow continuous wireless monitoring of bio-signals, can play a significant role in early hospital discharge.
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© 2012 ICST Institute for Computer Science, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering
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Milsis, A., Katsaras, T., Saoulis, N., Varoutaki, E., Vontetsianos, A. (2012). Clinical Effectiveness of the “Healthwear” Wearable System in the Reduction of COPD Patients’ Hospitalization. In: Nikita, K.S., Lin, J.C., Fotiadis, D.I., Arredondo Waldmeyer, MT. (eds) Wireless Mobile Communication and Healthcare. MobiHealth 2011. Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, vol 83. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29734-2_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29734-2_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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