Patients involved: 100

Patients in the intervention group will be equipped with wireless pulse oximeters. In addition, the nurses who are visiting patients within the residential home and nursing care programmes are equipped with wireless flow spirometers. Pulse oximetry is obtained through patient (or caregiver-assisted) self-monitoring, with a frequency according to the indications of the patient's respiratory medicine specialist or respiratory nurse. FEV1- and FEV1/VC values are obtained by nurses when they visit a patient with COPD with a frequency of one weekly measurement. On the occasion of the nurse visit, a simple questionnaire (CAT) is performed using a mobile PC provided to the nurses. All measured values are collected once a week through a portable care station. Measured values are collected and transmitted to a central health portal where the records of individual patients can be assessed by their GP or lung specialist. GPs and lung specialists also receive an automated fax report on abnormal or worsening values in order to trigger eventual changes in medication, oxygen therapy or a call for a specialist visit.

1. The participants are equipped with light-weight handheld devices and record their vital signs at home. Via Bluetooth the vital signs are sent to the mobile phone as a gateway.
2. The gateway sends the data via GPRS to the HIS Portal as an Healthcare Information server, the eHealth record.
3. The eHealth record handles the data and organize the alarm management
4. The responsible healthcare professionals (GP or hospital based expert or Home Care Services) access the data of the patient by using eHealth record and provides feedback.

 

Other cluster of Berlin: Cluster 2