Adherence to daily home-based spirometry during a 3-month period in patients with ILD: The RALPMH Study

Abstract

Introduction: Home-based spirometry is an appealing approach to detect lung function decline in patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILD). Adherence is a critical component and understanding this is important for achieving the promising potential of home-based spirometry.

Aim: To assess adherence to daily home-based spirometry in ILD.

Methods: We collected data over 129 days from the RALPMH study. Patients received the portable NuvoAir (Air Next) spirometry with an application that displayed and transmitted results to the RADAR-Base mHealth platform. Participants received a daily reminder from RADAR-Base to complete three spirometry tests.

Results: Twenty patients with ILD were enrolled in the study, 11 (55%) females, mean age and standard deviation were 60.9±11.7 years. Patients performed unsupervised daily spirometry manoeuvres over a mean of 93±33 days. Adherence was assessed by calculating the actual number of home-based measurements divided by the number of days enrolled in the study. Adherence to at least one daily spirometry manoeuvre was 66%, adherence to 2 tests a week was 79%, adherence to 3 tests a week was 72%, and adherence at least once a week was 91%. Seven participants were non-compliant with the study protocol, with daily adherence of 40% or less.

Conclusion: Data from the RALPMH study supports the feasibility of home-based spirometry in patients with ILD. Future studies are needed to investigate the utility of home-based spirometry in patients with ILD and further explore the feasibility, optimal sampling frequency in longitudinal settings. Also should aim to address data quality for unsupervised remote spirometry as adherence doesn't guarantee data usability