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Review
. 2025 Feb 26:12:1361667.
doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1361667. eCollection 2025.

The role of digital health in respiratory diseases management: a narrative review of recent literature

Malik A Althobiani  1   2 , Anne-Marie Russell  3   4 , Joseph Jacob  5   6 , Yatharth Ranjan  7 , Rami Ahmad  8 , Amos A Folarin  7   9   10   11 , John R Hurst  5 , Joanna C Porter  5
Affiliations
Review

The role of digital health in respiratory diseases management: a narrative review of recent literature

Malik A Althobiani et al. Front Med (Lausanne). .

Abstract

This review provides a detailed overview of how digital health can be utilized in the management of Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD), and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). ILD encompasses a diverse range of lung disorders characterized by inflammation and scarring of lung tissue, leading to restrictive lung physiology and impaired gas exchange, with symptoms including progressive dyspnoea, cough, and hypoxia. COPD which ranks as the third leading cause of death globally, is characterized by chronic lung inflammation causing irreversible airflow obstruction, recurrent exacerbations. While recent advances in digital health have shown promise, predicting disease progression in patients with ILD and exacerbation in patients with COPD remains challenging. This review explores the role of digital health in managing ILD and COPD, particularly focusing on telehealth and digital health technologies. Telehealth, defined broadly as the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies in healthcare, has become increasingly relevant, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This review examines the role of digital health technologies in the management of ILD and COPD, with particular focus on telemedicine, and digital health tools. Remote monitoring technologies, including home spirometry and wearable devices, have demonstrated feasibility in managing respiratory diseases. However, challenges such as evidence, data reliability, varying adherence, education, and the high costs of data collection and lack of qualified clinicians present barriers for many national health systems.

Keywords: artificial intelligence; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; digital health; interstitial lung diease; mobile health (mHealth); respiratory disease; spirometry; telehealth.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Architecture of IoMT-based healthcare system. The diagram illustrates a three-tier telemedicine system: Tier 1 with sensors—ECG (Electrocardiogram) for heart activity, PPG (Photoplethysmogram) for heart rate, and inertial and motion sensors.
Figure 2
Figure 2
IoMT (Internet of Medical Things): A central system integrating health technologies for efficient patient care and data management. The centralized system connecting diverse health technologies to streamline patient treatment, data management, and medical services (91).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Smart health revolution. Overview of key digital transformation technologies in healthcare: benefits, considerations, and challenges.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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