We conducted a three-month pilot study of a home monitoring service for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Fifty-five patients were recruited. They transmitted physiological data to a monitoring centre once a day. During the period of the study, 36 escalations were reported to have occurred. Of these, 29 (81%) were managed at home; the other 7 (19%) resulted in acute admission after emergency telephone calls. Although only a small number of patients were involved for a relatively short period of time, there was evidence of a substantial (approximately 50%) decrease in rates of hospital admission. The service was highly acceptable to the patients.
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