During the Covid-19 pandemic and in the aftermath thereof, many patients are seeking treatment at home with telemedicine solutions becoming more popular and prevalent. One such diagnostic solution that is becoming more popular is in-home spirometry and basic lung function testing.
Telemedicine – Home Lung Monitoring
Traditionally, daily home spirometry was used for tracking lung transplant recipients to detect episodes of acute rejection. More recently, home lung function testing is also being used to track progression in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). IPF is a chronic, progressive, fibrotic lung disease that leads to gradual decline in exercise capability. By tracking Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) daily, disease prognosis and outcomes aid periodic hospital-based measurement for highly informative clinical information.
Post Covid-19
With Covid-19, home spirometry testing is expanding to include many people with different diagnosis and vulnerability. This is because spirometry is one of the most regularly scheduled tests to monitor and diagnose lung diseases such as asthma, COPD, and emphysema. However, spirometry requires forced breathing maneuvers and many hospitals and doctors reduced the number of these tests conducted during Covid-19 due to the potential of spreading airborne illnesses. This reduced the amount of data collected on patients with chronic lung disease, making diagnosis and determining treatment difficult.
However, vulnerable patients still need to be tested to determine if the patient has deteriorating symptoms. Because of this, at home spirometry testing may be suggested for those with lung diseases to better track disease progression. Both adults and children can use and benefit from home spirometry screening. The home screening can help track how well the patient’s condition is under control, judge if treatments are helping, spot exacerbations before they happen, and help determine whether the patient needs to see a doctor or head to the emergency room.
Learn More about Home Spirometry Solutions
Morgan Scientific offers a the Vitalograph Lung Monitor for telemedicine for home spirometry screening. Once the patient completes a test, results can be manually entered into the ComPAS Enterprise PFT software for tracking and trending and transmission into the EMR. To find out more about the product and reimbursement, visit https://www.morgansci.com/products/telemedicine-solutions/ or contact us today!
