Cystic Fibrosis Remote monitoring System to Support Resource-Limited Communities

 描述（由申请人提供）：20%的美国人口居住在农村社区。在农村地区，居民需要走更远的路才能获得医疗保健系统的专业服务。通常，这些农村地区的医疗机构规模较小，提供的服务有限。通常，由于地理距离、极端天气条件、环境和气候障碍、缺乏公共交通以及道路困难，农村居民可能会受到限制或被禁止获得专业卫生保健服务。在第一阶段的提案中，Koronis Biomedical Technologies（KBT）提出了一个系统，通过在家中监测囊性纤维化（CF）患者来克服其中的一些障碍。目前，复发性CF呼吸加重的标准治疗包括在出现症状时前往专业CF诊所或医院进行肺功能评估。肺功能测试帮助临床医生了解肺功能何时下降。然而，临床医生目前不在家监测肺功能，临床医生也没有任何关于治疗依从性的见解。目前，美国有110个囊性纤维化中心获得囊性纤维化基金会的认证，其中只有五个位于明尼苏达州（1个）、北/南达科他州（3个）、蒙大拿州（1个）和怀俄明州（0个）。在许多情况下，患者需要长途跋涉才能到达这些专业的CF中心。拟议的系统创建了一个创新的家庭系统，将农村地区的患者与临床医生联系起来，并在治疗和诊断监测之间提供反馈回路。第一阶段提案将开发一个网络应用程序，允许安全远程访问肺功能数据和治疗依从性。该系统将提供一种早期检测肺部恶化的手段，并减少昂贵和紧张的住院和诊所就诊的次数。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Twenty percent of the U.S. population resides in rural communities. In rural areas, residents need to travel greater distances to access specialty services of the healthcare system. Typically, healthcare facilities in these rural areas are small and provide limited services. Often, due to geographic distance, extreme weather conditions, environmental and climatic barriers, lack of public transportation, and challenging roads, rural residents may be limited or prohibited from accessing specialty health care services. In this phase I proposal, Koronis Biomedical Technologies (KBT) proposes a system to overcome some of these barriers by monitoring cystic fibrosis (CF) patients at home. Currently, the standard of care for reoccurring CF respiratory exacerbations includes coming to a specialized CF clinic or the hospital for pulmonary function evaluation when symptoms occur. Pulmonary function tests help clinicians know when lung function has declined. However, clinicians currently do not monitor lung function at home, nor do clinicians have any insight on therapy adherence. There are currently 110 cystic fibrosis centers in the U.S. accredited by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation with only five in the entire states of Minnesota (1), North/South Dakota (3), Montana (1) and Wyoming (0). In many cases, patients travel a long distance to reach these specialized CF centers. The proposed system creates an innovative home system that connects patients in rural areas with clinicians and provides a feedback loop between therapy and diagnostic monitoring. The phase I proposal will develop a web application that will allow secure remote access to pulmonary function data and therapy adherence. This system will provide a means of early detection of pulmonary exacerbation and reducing the number of costly and stressful hospitalizations and clinic visits.