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

Abstract

Despite rapid changes in Information and Communication Technology, outpatient chronic disease management has changed very little in decades. However, the introduction of Telemedicine defined here as the use of remote patient-centred clinical services including the use of video and audio connections, telemonitoring and mobile applications provides us with an ideal opportunity to revolutionise care. Its appeal in cystic fibrosis (CF) care is clear offering better access to services, the opportunity of earlier intervention and improved monitoring and self management through virtual clinics and the use of real-time applications for adherence monitoring. It has the potential to reduce costs and has been shown to be effective in other chronic disease conditions. There is a lack of good quality data in CF and studies are needed to provide supportive evidence. Nonetheless, it would seem that telemedicine is the future of CF care.

Keywords: Adherence; Cystic Fibrosis; Telehealth; Telemedicine; Telemonitoring.