[Telehealthcare for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]

A Cochrane review of telehealthcare in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has found telehealthcare to have a positive effect on quality of life in patients with COPD and reduced health-care contacts. In this comment, the fact that the reviewed studies all contain interventions in which telehealthcare is only one part is highlighted. No studies comparing complex interventions with and without telehealthcare exist in COPD and more studies are therefore clearly needed before further implementation of this technology.