Time and modality of follow-up schedules
| Author [ref.] | Population | Time to tele-assistance initiation | Time of TM use |
| Miyasaka [25] | Paediatric patients for home ventilatory care n=7 | Implementation of a videophone system | NA |
| Pinto [9] | ALS n=40, all ventilated | Controls: admission, 2–3 weeks later, every 3 month thereafter Intervention: every week by modem; every 3 month in-office | 3 years |
| De Almeida [10] | ALS | Not mentioned | NA |
| Vitacca [46] | ALS n=73 (NIV n=18 and invasive ventilation n=18) | Median time from diagnosis to TM 440 days Phone calls per patient per month 4.8±2.5 Time per month of calls 3–256 min Calls weekly scheduled or requested by patient/career (unscheduled) | 4 years |
| Vitacca [47] | ALS n=40 (NIV n=19 and invasive ventilation n=12) | 8–6 months (1–12 months)/≥5 calls per patient per month Total calls: 2224 (1907 scheduled, 317 unscheduled) | 1–12 months |
| Zamith [34] | Asthma n=21 plus CRF n=51 (LTOT n=41 and NIV n=32) | Not mentioned | 9 months |
| Bertini [22] | HMV n=16 (invasive MV n=5, NIV n=11, COPD n=3, RTD n=4, NMD n=8, Ondine Syndrome# n=1) | The data analysed routinely every week or in real time after a phone call by the patient or care givers to the doctor in charge | 2 years |
| De Toledo [49] | COPD n=157 | On demand | 1 year |
| Vontetsianos [26] | COPD n=18 plus at least four hospitalisations in the previous 2 years | Once a month via nurse | 9 months |
| Trappenburg [35] | COPD (study n=59, controls n=56) | Daily symptom surveillance | 6 months |
| Segrelles [31] | Home telehealth n=30, controls n=30; FEV1 <50%, age ≥50 years, LTOT, non-smokers, with at least one hospitalisation for respiratory illness in the previous year | Monday–Sunday; From Monday through to Friday the data is monitored and assessed by the Clinical Monitoring Center from 09:00 h to 17:00 h and during weekends the data is directly analysed by pulmonologist | 7 months |
| Jódar-Sánchez [50] | Telehealth n=24 and control group n=21 on usual care; under LTOT and with at least one hospitalisation for respiratory illness in the previous year | Vital signs on weekdays and spirometry (2 days per week) | 4 months |
| Maiolo [42] | COPD patients on LTOT n=2f0 and RTD n=3 | Twice a week | 12 months |
| Moreira [45] | Patients n=35 (OSA 40.0%, COPD 22.8%, NMD 11.4%, TB sequelae 2.9%, kyphoscoliosis 2.9% and 20.0% other CRF causes) | Compliance downloads on fourth day and second month, nocturnal oximetry on seventh day and first month | 3 months |
| Pinnock [33] | Patients randomised to tele-monitoring n=128, patients randomised to usual care n=128 | Daily questionnaire about symptoms and oxygen saturation | 12 months |
| Pedone [37] | COPD n=50 (GOLD II and III) patients in the tele-monitoring group and controls n=49 | System set up to perform five measurement of each parameter every 3 h | 9 months |
| Vitacca [23] | CRF patients needing LTOT or HMV plus at least one hospitalisation for respiratory illness in the previous year, COPD 56%, RTD 15%, NMD 10%, ALS 9%, other 10%; of which 46% on NIV, 21.4% on IMV and 63% onLTOT | Continuous 24 h on-call service (interactive online system) | 1 year |
| Borel [15] | COPD on home NIV | EXACT-Pro questionnaire every day plus continuous monitoring of respiratory rate percentage of respiratory cycles triggered by the patient and NIV daily use | 6 months |
NA: not available; ALS: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; NIV: noninvasive ventilation; TM: tele-monitoring; CRF: chronic respiratory failure; LTOT: long-term oxygen therapy; HMV: home mechanical ventilation; MV: mechanical ventilation; COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; RTD: respiratory tract disease; NMD: neuromuscular disorders; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 s; EXACT-PRO: the exacerbations of chronic pulmonary disease tool patient-reported outcome. #: Also known as congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS).