Journal of Clinical Medicine

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Telemonitoring: Benefits, Limitations and Clinical Challenges

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Telemedicine can prolong the interaction between patients and care providers over time. Telemonitoring is an area of telemedicine in which physiological, physical and chemical parameters can be monitored locally and remotely and, in addition to providing monitoring data to the patient and caregivers at home, allows intervention to correct therapies whenever justified. Furthermore, it also contributes to the empowerment of patients. Interestingly, its first applications were developed for space flights, but it was the evolution of computers and remote communication and the reduction in the size of devices that, in fact, came to create conditions for more frequent use. Knowing that many diseases in the group of chronic non-communicable diseases, which today are major causes of morbidity and death, are associated with a set of factors ranging from food and physical activity issues to therapeutic adherence, it is also known that the failure to reach therapeutic target values, in terms of the intended physiological parameters, is associated with the likelihood of worse results. However, even in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic, telemonitoring can play a role. As a consequence, the integration of telemonitoring into the chronic follow-up of patients may improve outcomes and also may constitute a more rational use of health systems. The potential of telemonitoring as an instrument for monitoring and patient-centered care is immense, with multiple pieces of evidence pointing towards its efficacy in several pathologies

Prof. Miguel Castelo-Branco Sousa
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.

Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.

Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.

External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.

e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Other

17 pages, 1738 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Benefits of Telemonitoring of Pulmonary Function—3-Month Follow-Up of Home Electronic Spirometry in Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

by Eliza Wasilewska, Agnieszka Sobierajska-Rek, Sylwia Małgorzewicz, Mateusz Soliński and Ewa Jassem

J. Clin. Med. 2022, 11(3), 856; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11030856 - 6 Feb 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3240

Abstract

Background: In patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), the respiratory system determines the quality and length of life; therefore, the search for easy and safe everyday monitoring of the pulmonary function is currently extremely important, particularly in the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of a three-month home electronic spirometry (e-spirometry) monitoring of the pulmonary function and strength of respiratory muscles as well as the patients’ benefits from this telemetric program. Methods: Twenty-one boys with DMD (aged 7–22; non-ambulatory-11) received a remote electronic spirometer for home use with a special application dedicated for patients and connected with a doctor platform. Control of the hospital spirometry (forced vital capacity-FVC, forced expiratory volume in 1 second-FEV1, peak expiratory flow-PEF) and respiratory muscle strength (maximal inspiratory-MIP and expiratory pressures-MEP) before and after the three-month monitoring were performed as well telemonitoring benefit survey. Results: A total of 1403 measurements were performed; 15 of the participants were able to achieve correct attempts. There were no differences between the hospital and the home spirometry results as well as between respiratory muscle strength during v1 vs. v2 visits for the whole study group (all parameters p > 0.05); the six participants achieved increased value of FVC during the study period. There was a positive correlation between ΔFVC and the number of assessments during the home spirometry (r = 0.7, p < 0.001). Differences between FVC and MIP_cmH2O (r = 0.58; p = 0.01), MEP_cmH2O (r = 0.75; p < 0.001) was revealed. The mean general satisfaction rating of the telemonitoring was 4.46/5 (SD 0.66) after one month and 4.91/5 (SD 0.28) after three months. The most reported benefit of the home monitoring was the improvement in breathing (38% of participants after one month, 52% after three months of telemonitoring). Forgetting about the procedures was the most common reason for irregular measurements; the participants reported also increased motivation but less time to perform tests. Conclusions: The study indicates high compliance of the home telemonitoring results with the examination in the hospital. Benefits from home spirometry were visible for all participants; the most important benefit was breathing improvement. The remote home spirometry is usable for everyday monitoring of the pulmonary function in DMD patients as well can be also treated as respiratory muscle training. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Telemonitoring: Benefits, Limitations and Clinical Challenges)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research

5 pages, 260 KiB

Open AccessBrief Report

Severe Asthma, Telemedicine, and Self-Administered Therapy: Listening First to the Patient

by Gabriella Guarnieri, Marco Caminati, Alessia Achille, Rachele Vaia, Fulvia Chieco Bianchi, Gianenrico Senna and Andrea Vianello

J. Clin. Med. 2022, 11(4), 960; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11040960 - 12 Feb 2022

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2964

Abstract

Severe asthma patients are at an increased risk of major complications and they need to be monitored regularly. The COVID-19 pandemic has notably impacted on the health care resources. The telemedicine approach applied to the follow-up of asthmatic patients has been proven to be effective in monitoring their disease and their adherence to the therapy. The aim of our study was to investigate the satisfaction of severe asthma patients before the activation of a telemedicine management, as well as their current experience with self-administration of injection therapy. An ad hoc questionnaire was developed and sent by e-mail to 180 severe asthma patients. Most of subjects, 82%, were confident with the idea of doing self-measurements and self-managing their disease. Further, 77% of subjects favoured to carry out virtual visits and telemedicine. Regarding the home treatment, 93% of patients considered the self-injection therapy easy, 94% of subjects felt safe, and 93% were not worried while self-administering. Only mild adverse events were reported in 22% of patients after self-administration. Our results showed an agreement between what is considered necessary and practicable by healthcare personnel and what is perceived by the severe asthma patients in terms of treatment and monitoring of the disease with Telehealth. Biologics have a safety profile and can be easily self-administred at home. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Telemonitoring: Benefits, Limitations and Clinical Challenges)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Telemonitoring: Benefits, Limitations and Clinical Challenges

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

Research

Other

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI