At least 400,000 Danes suffer from the chronic disease COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). The disease is caused by a slow degradation of the lung tissue which impairs the lung function. COPD cannot be cured, but patients can do much to slow the progression. Although their lung function cannot be improved by excises, the patients' cardiovascular fitness, as well as their muscle strength and endurance, can be improved - and thus their breathing. Therefore, lung patients must live as physically active as possible.

Næstved Health Centre has carried out specific courses for people with COPD, during which they can learn to master their own illness e.g. through a 10-week course consisting of physical as well as classroom training. Unfortunately, people's motivation to continue physical activity often decreases after the end of the course.

Aim

Under the auspices of Patient@home, a project will tackle the problem by use of technology. The patients will be provided with an assistive tool in the form of mobile applications that will be introduced to them at the beginning of the course and which may help them retain their physical activity after completion of the course and thereby stabilise their condition.

The aim is to make patients remember and use acquired knowledge about own condition and to motivate them to continue their activities as intensively as possible.

Næstved Health Centre has already implemented some preliminary initiatives in relation to involving simple technology solutions in its teaching programme, and the intention is to strengthen this area through development and testing. The project will help to identify relevant technologies and to develop and test them in the context of education programmes offered by Næstved Health Centre.

Results

The project will lead to:

- An analysis of current courses

- Identification of relevant technologies

- Development, testing and adaptation of technology