An integrated care model improved the quality of life of patients with chronic respiratory diseases living in rural areas with limited access to care: data from a prospective interventional cohort study

Residence in a rural area negatively impact health outcomes. The e-Meuse prospective interventional study investigated the impact of telemonitoring-based integrated care on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in people with chronic respiratory diseases from rural communities. Patients included were newly diagnosed for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) starting continuous positive airway pressure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or overlap syndrome (OS: COPD+OSA). Disease management was supported using connected devices and wearables, including CPAP telemonitoring for OSA and Boraband for COPD/OS. The primary outcome was HRQoL (Short Form-36; SF-36) over six months’ follow-up. 400 patients were included (147 [37%] with COPD, 148 [37%] with OSA, 105 [26%] with OS). The SF-36 mental component score (MCS) increased significantly from baseline to 3 and 6 months in the overall population (+2.2 and +3.2, respectively; p<0.001); benefits were greatest in the OSA subgroup. In COPD, the greatest improvements were in physical domains and body pain. In OS, there were strong early gains in the role-physical, role-emotional, body pain and health change domains. Significant predictors of HRQoL improvements included male sex, age, and disease type. This study highlights the potential for a telemonitoring-based integrated care intervention to improve HRQoL for patients with chronic respiratory diseases living in rural areas. Clinical trial number: NCT04963192