PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Karla Logie
AU  - Liam Welsh
AU  - Sarath C Ranganathan
TI  - Telehealth spirometry for children with cystic fibrosis
AID  - 10.1136/archdischild-2019-317147
DP  - 2019 Nov 06
TA  - Archives of Disease in Childhood
PG  - archdischild-2019-317147
4099  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/early/2019/11/05/archdischild-2019-317147.short
4100  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/early/2019/11/05/archdischild-2019-317147.full
AB  - Aim We assessed the feasibility of telehealth spirometry assessments for children with cystic fibrosis (CF) living in a regional setting.Method Patients with acceptable computer hardware at home were provided with a SpiroUSB (Vyaire) spirometer. Spirometry was performed during ‘home admissions’ or for ongoing home monitoring in children living outside metropolitan Melbourne. At the end of the session, the family forwarded the data to the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne.Results Twenty-two patients aged 7 to 17 years participated, with spirometry successful in 55 of 59 (93%) attempted sessions according to American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society criteria. The median distance between the subject’s home and the hospital was 238 km (range 62–537 km) which equated to a travel time saving of 5 hours and 34 min per hospital visit.Conclusion Home-based telehealth spirometry is feasible in children with CF and can support the CF team during home-based admissions and for ongoing outpatient monitoring.