OBJECTIVES: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a lung condition characterized by lung airflow limitation. This study aims to provide an overview of telemedicine in terms of clinical, humanistic, and economic burden on COPD patients and to analyze the impact of telemedicine (TM) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS: EMBASE and MEDLINE databases were searched between December 2019 and May 2022 for studies published in English. Studies with COPD patients aged >18 years, reporting clinical outcomes, cost data, and patient satisfaction levels were included.

RESULTS: Of the 6,366 identified publications, 12 studies met the inclusion criteria (three randomized controlled trials (RCTs), eight observational studies, and one qualitative study). Of these, one observational study undertaken during the pandemic reported statistically significant improvements in mean (SD) COPD assessment test (CAT) scores (24.7±17.5, p<0.05) and an improvement in quality-of-life (QoL) scales. Of the three RCTs comparing TM with the standard of care (SoC), one showed a significant difference in CAT scores between the two arms (1.8 and 3.6, respectively; p=0.0015), indicating the natural progression of COPD was 50% lower in the TM arm compared to SoC arm. All three RCTs reported improvement in QoL scales for the TM group. Two RCTs reported numerically lower cost for TM group compared with SoC: (total cost/patient: €362.60 and €364.30 (Clemente et al. 2021); total cost/year: $2,812 and $4,609 (Rassouli et al. 2021), respectively; and one study by Koff et al. 2020 reported an estimated cost savings of $4,359 per patient per year. Across all the observational studies, the results were favorable for TM.

CONCLUSIONS: Telemedicine is a valuable tool for minimizing distance, enhancing communication, and reducing hospitalizations. TM also appeared to be beneficial in maintaining QoL, clinical efficiency, and lowering cost burden, and can be a suitable tool to manage patients considering their safety and timely intervention.