PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Narelle S Cox
AU  - Jennifer A Alison
AU  - Brenda M Button
AU  - John W Wilson
AU  - Anne E Holland
TI  - Assessing Exercise Capacity Using Telehealth: A Feasibility Study in Adults With Cystic Fibrosis
AID  - 10.4187/respcare.01922
DP  - 2013 Feb 01
TA  - Respiratory Care
PG  - 286--290
VI  - 58
IP  - 2
4099  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/58/2/286.short
4100  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/58/2/286.full
AB  - BACKGROUND: Provision of healthcare from a remote site may assist patients to access important services. We aimed to establish the feasibility of monitoring an assessment of exercise capacity using telehealth technology. METHODS: Adults with CF completed two 3-min step tests, monitored in-person or remotely via videoconferencing, in randomized order. Measurements were physiological responses to exercise, system usability, ease of clinician interaction, metronome acoustics, and participant comfort. RESULTS: Ten adults (5 male), mean ± SD age 32 ± 7 years, and FEV1 55.4% of predicted (range 38–90% of predicted), completed both tests. Participants reported good system usability, with a mean (95% CI) System Usability Scale score of 85.63 out of 100 (79.8–91.5). Metronome acoustics were rated as significantly poorer remotely (P = .006). There were no differences in measurements of oxyhemoglobin saturation or heart rate between assessment settings. CONCLUSION: Exercise capacity assessment using the 3-min step test is feasible and accurate via remote videoconferencing in adults with CF.