Study design (if review, criteria of inclusion for studies)
observational, feasibility study
Participants
Adults with CF
Interventions
Provision of healthcare from a remote site. Monitoring an assessment of exercise capacity using telehealth technology. Patients completed two 3-min step tests, monitored in-person or remotely via videoconferencing, in randomized order.
Outcome measures
Measurements were physiological responses to exercise, system usability, ease of clinician interaction, metronome acoustics, and participant comfort.
Main results
Ten adults (5 male), mean +/- SD age 32 +/- 7 years, and FEV1 55.4% of predicted (range 38-90% of predicted), completed both tests. Participants reported good system usability, with a mean (95% CI) System Usability Scale score of 85.63 out of 100 (79.8-91.5). Metronome acoustics were rated as significantly poorer remotely (P = .006). There were no differences in measurements of oxyhemoglobin saturation or heart rate between assessment settings.
Authors' conclusions
Exercise capacity assessment using the 3-min step test is feasible and accurate via remote videoconferencing in adults with CF.
Keywords: adult; telemedicine; non pharmacological intervention - psyco-soc-edu-org; Home; non pharmacological intervention - devices OR physiotherapy; Organization;