Design of an architecture for automatic data integration in COPD home monitoring
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common chronic lung condition characterized by persistent inflammation of the airways (chronic bronchitis) and/or pulmonary emphysema, resulting in damage to the alveoli.
At Maastricht UMC+ (MUMC+), patients with COPD currently contact the hospital by telephone when their symptoms worsen. In this situation, clinical decision-making is largely based on subjective symptom descriptions and, when available, vital signs measured by the patients themselves.
However, these values are obtained using non-validated measurement devices purchased by the patients and are therefore not considered sufficiently reliable for medical use under applicable regulations, such as the Medical Device Regulation (MDR). As a result, physicians do not have access to objective and reliable vital sign data during telephone consultations, which can lead to uncertainty when assessing symptom severity and may result in suboptimal clinical decision-making. Furthermore, this may lead to patients being referred for a hospital visit earlier than necessary.
In the intended future situation, patients experiencing symptoms will be able to measure their vital signs at home using validated devices provided by the hospital, with the data automatically becoming available in the electronic health record (EHR). This will enable physicians to assess the severity of the situation more accurately based on objective and reliable data and to make more informed clinical decisions.
This project is part of my EngD program in Qualified Medical Engineering (QME).
Kelly Keulen
Supervisors