Effectiveness of Telemedicine in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patient Care of Paphayom Hospital, Phatthalung Province

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study with a single-group (Pre-post intervention) design aimed to compare the effectiveness of outpatient chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) care between telemedicine and conventional care at Pa Phayom Hospital, Phatthalung Province. The effectiveness outcomes examined included patient quality of life, symptom exacerbation rates, lung function, costs, and service time. The study sample comprised 58 COPD patients receiving care at the hospital's pulmonary clinic, selected through simple random sampling. Instruments included: 1) COPD Assessment Test (CAT) for quality-of-life evaluation, 2) spirometer for expiratory airflow measurement, 3) telemedicine service system, and 4) service effectiveness recording forms validated by five experts. Data analysis compared effectiveness outcomes between both service modalities within the same sample group using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results showed no statistically significant difference in patient quality of life between the two service approaches (p-value = 0.260). However, telemedicine demonstrated superior effectiveness in pulmonary function, symptom exacerbation rates, costs, and service duration compared to conventional care, with statistical significance (p-value<0.001). This study demonstrates that telemedicine is superior to conventional treatment for COPD patients across multiple domains. Recommendations for practice include healthcare institutions developing policies to advance telemedicine systems for continued service implementation.