Telemedicine Follow Up of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Integrated into a Patient-Centered Health Care Team-Setting Impacts on Patient Empowerment and Safety

Health care services are facing challenges with a growing ageing population prone to chronic conditions and multi-morbidities. Telemedicine applications have the potential to enhance patient’s safety at home by monitoring of chronic diseases, promoting coping and independence. The research project Patients and Professionals in Productive Teams aims to study patient-centered teamwork across organizational borders, supported by technology. This paper describes the research agenda for a study on how telemedicine follow-up impacts on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients’ quality of life and possible effects on patient empowerment, in the health region of Southern Norway. The outcome i…