Feasibility of telehealth spirometry for people with cystic fibrosis

ABSTRACT

Background: Telemedicine has flourished during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is increasing interest in performing spirometry at home as part of a telehealth program, especially in cystic fibrosis (CF), to follow the course of the disease, but it is unclear whether the quality and accuracy of home spirometry are comparable with those of in-clinic spirometry [1-3]. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and measurement quality of telehealth spirometry assessments for people with CF. Method(s) Patientswith acceptable hardware at homewere provided with a flow sensor portable spirometer (Spirobank Smart) compatible with ATS/ ERS 2019 standards for volume accuracy. They performed spirometry during "home admissions" or ongoing home monitoring for 1 year during the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2021 to January 2022). At the end of each session, the family forwarded the data to the CF center. Result(s) Twenty-nine people were evaluated (median age 17.4, range 6.7- 34;58% female;mean baseline percentage predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second 79.8 +/- 21.4%). According to American Thoracic Society/ European Respiratory Society criteria, spirometry was performed successfully in 320 of 430 (74.5%) attempted sessions. The median distance between the subject's home and the hospital was 124 km (range 49- 418 km)-a median travel time saving of 1.5 hours per hospital visit. Conclusion(s) Home-based telehealth spirometry is feasible in people with CF and can support the CF team in ongoing outpatient monitoring.Copyright © 2022, European Cystic Fibrosis Society. All rights reserved