TELEHEALTH SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR EVALUATION OF CONTINUOUS POSITIVE AIRWAY PRESSURE TREATMENT

摘要

This paper describes a telehealth system for the support and evaluation of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea (OSAH). The Web-based system supports the patients in the initial months of the CPAP therapy, especially, the patients from remote areas with limited access to specialized clinics. The system has four major functions: (1) to facilitate patient's education and communication with the clinic, (2) to collect and store subjective self-reported data, physiologic information, and objective CPAP usage data, (3) to analyse patient's compliance, and (4) to assess effectiveness of CPAP treatment. The telemedicine system consists of four modules: (1) a Web-based interface for the patients and health practitioners, (2) a database system for self-reported data, physiologic information, objective CPAP usage data (downloaded from the machine), and patient's records, (3) an analytical system for measuring the compliance, and (4) a rule-based system for the evaluation of effectiveness of CPAP treatment.