Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) has been perceived as a
challenging health issue without effective treatment options.
Managing COPD
is critically important due to its impact on a patient's overall
health and quality of life. It is a challenging task that requires
careful attention and a comprehensive approach. Effective management
is noteworthy as it can greatly reduce symptoms, prevent
exacerbations, and improve daily functioning. Recent progress has
transformed this perception, offering new possibilities for
enhancing patients' overall health and elevating their quality of
life. Whether through personalized medical interventions tailored to
individual needs or improved strategies for exacerbation management,
or innovative non-pharmacological therapies such as
singing,
there are now diverse ways to support and improve the well-being of
individuals with COPD. These integrations will help provide a
comprehensive view of the advancements in COPD rehabilitation.
Today, we would like to go over one of these studies that have the
goal to digitize and improve COPD management.
Study Overview: Digitizing COPD Management
This study conducted by Breathment aims to revolutionize COPD
management. This research aims to assess the impact of
app-based pulmonary rehabilitation teletherapy
coupled with online therapy sessions with a physiotherapist on COPD
patients’ post-acute exacerbation.
Let us give you more insights on the way this promising study is
conducted: The study aims to recruit participants in Germany from the
Asklepios-Fachkliniken München Gauting.
These COPD patients will then be provided with guideline-supported,
non-pharmacological digital pulmonary rehabilitation therapy. This
approach integrates a mobile eHealth application with video therapy
sessions conducted by actual physiotherapists. The intervention group
(Arm 1) accesses the Breathment Therapy App with a personalized
rehabilitation plan and two video therapy sessions, while the active
control group (Arm 2) engages in self-directed physical training and
receives informational material.
Endpoints and Measurements
So, how do they find out the results? The primary endpoints rather
focus on dyspnea measured by the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) score and
physical performance assessed by the 1-minute sit-to-stand test
repetition count. Secondary endpoints incorporate other aspects that
are equally valuable, such as quality of life, daily step count,
subjective health status, exacerbation and hospitalization frequencies
and durations, user-friendliness assessment, and device-related
issues.
As already mentioned above, Breathment takes the lead as the primary
sponsor of this study. The collaboration between scientific research
and industry stakeholders, in this case Breathment, underlines the
multidisciplinary nature of this innovative research. And needless
to mention that this collaboration can only take place thanks to the
shared interest in advancing digital healthcare and personalized
rehabilitation for COPD patients, especially post-exacerbation.
Download the app
to take control of managing your COPD symptoms effectively.
