Abstract

Introduction:Digital service, compliments usual services, encouraged self-management and quality of life in adults with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). As technology has ongoing financial implications, further investigations of costs are required.Aims and objectives:To assess the long-term economic impact of the application of e-health as part of a virtual model of care.Methods:NuvoAir Home platform consists of a smartphone application, Bluetooth spirometer and a clinician portal.Patients were trained to use the platform and asked to do home spirometry monthly.Patients continued face-to-face visit alternate to two time virtually via video call.Number of visits, pulmonary exacerbations, hospital admission, antibiotics cost, travel time and cost, time saved off work were prospectively collected.Costs are compared with data presented in the year before the study enrollment. Two-sided Wilcoxon signed-rank test was applied to all comparisons of before and after values.Results:43 CF patients were recruited (26 females;mean age 31.6±6.8;16 homozygous for delta F508;FEV1 48.4±16.3 % predicted).Sustained improvement in travel cost and travel time was seen through 12 months, p< 0.02 and p<0.05.We found significant improvement in time saved off work p <0.002.The average of number of exacerbations per person was 0.84 1-year before vs 0.09 1-year after the use of digital technology, p <0.0001.Health costs per person were 8.037,00 euro 1-year before vs 6.404,55 1-year after, mean change -1.632,45 euro, p=0.05.Conclusions:The application of digital technologies in the management of adults with CF showed an improvement in days off work, travel and health costs. Our data of digital intervention may serve for planning future funding provision.