Toward the Integration of Devices for Pulmonary Respiratory Rehabilitation in Telemedicine and e-Health.

Toward the Integration of Devices for Pulmonary Respiratory Rehabilitation in Telemedicine and e-Health.

Telemed J E Health. 2018 Jul 24;:

Authors: Giansanti D, Maccioni G

Abstract
Respiratory rehabilitation is a therapeutic path based on performing regular physical exercise. It aims to modify the impact that the respiratory disease has on the patients' quality of life, reducing the severity of the symptoms, and improving their ability to adhere to the activities of daily life. After an initial assessment, they are prescribed (1) different forms and modes of physical exercise and (2) exercise of pulmonary musculature to improve individual performance and the consequences of the symptoms of the emotional sphere related to the pathological condition. At the moment, the devices for pulmonary exercitation/incentivization, even if gamified, give out qualitative information and are not provided with electronics and/or are not connected to the network. The objective of this opinion article is to introduce new models of rehabilitation in this field of Telemedicine and e-Health at a first stage of research. In particular, a new environment for home rehabilitation is proposed, which is based to gamified devices for pulmonary incentivization integrated to the e-Healthcare system integratable also with automatic systems for the 6-min walk tests proposed by the same authors. A first device has been designed and tested. The next steps will be dedicated to the widening of the environment with the design of other devices and to complete the integration with the healthcare system.

PMID: 30040535 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]