Using an electronic diary and wristband accelerometer to detect exacerbations and activity levels in COPD: a...

Area of Science:

• Digital health
• Respiratory medicine
• Medical technology

Background:

• Early identification of acute exacerbations of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is crucial for timely treatment and hospital admission prevention.
• Electronic diaries for symptom monitoring and accelerometers for activity tracking have been developed.
• The usability of these technologies in the COPD population remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of using an electronic diary (eDiary) via the MoreCare app for symptom reporting.
• To evaluate the usability of the Garmin Vivofit 2 activity monitor for activity monitoring in COPD patients.

Main Methods:

• 25 COPD patients were recruited from the London COPD Cohort.
• Participants used a Garmin Vivofit 2 activity monitor and an Android tablet with the MoreCare app for 3 months.
• Data on eDiary compliance, activity levels, and exacerbation predictors were collected.

Main Results:

• eDiary compliance was not impacted by age, gender, disease severity, or exacerbation frequency.
• A moderate positive correlation was observed between daily very active minutes and FEV1 % predicted (ρ=0.62, p=0.005).
• Daily step counts decreased during exacerbations and recovery periods. Key predictors of exacerbations included sputum color change, step count change, cold severity, exacerbation history, and rescue medication use.

Conclusions:

• Symptom and activity monitoring using digital technology is feasible in COPD patients.
• Further large-scale studies are needed to determine if eDiaries can identify patients at risk of exacerbation and guide early interventions.