eRT Remote Health Monitoring

Remote Health Monitoring (RHM) is the assessment of one's own symptoms at home between doctor visits, using things like at-home breathing tests, electronic diaries to answer questionnaires, and other monitoring devices. The hypothesis of this study is that the health and quality of life of people with COPD who do RHM for one year will be better than people with COPD who do not do RHM. Subjects who are at least 40 years old, have been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), also known as chronic bronchitis or emphysema, and are current or former smokers will be invited to participate. This study is paid for by eResearch Technology (eRT). Subjects will complete 2 visits at UCLA, separated by one year of RHM. All subjects will participate in RHM. RHM will involve daily monitoring at home using a few electronic devices: blood oxygen levels, symptoms, medication use, breathing tests, and activity monitoring. Visits will include physical exam and medical history, ECG, questionnaires, breathing tests, and exercise tests.