Telemedicine is the way forward for the management of cystic fibrosis- the case against

Abstract

It is reasonable to suggest that Telemedicine could help in the management of chronic diseases by giving patients more flexibility to remain at home with opportunities to forward electronic data to healthcare professionals, reduce hospital emergency attendances and reduce overall costs. The reality, particularly in cystic fibrosis care, is this has not happened. There is concern that home-generated lung function data is of poor quality and virtually no studies show improved outcomes. The UK has a poor record in developing novel IT programmes and we need many more well designed clinical studies in Telemedicine before wading in with ill-conceived expensive plans just because the idea seems interesting.

Keywords: Cystic Fibrosis; Limitations; Telemedicine.