‘Thank you for asking’: patient-centred research helps drive change in lung disease treatment

Physiotherapist monitoring and providing guidance for at home patients.
Image: Dr Narelle Cox. See also Narelle describing the research: video

Monash University researchers are giving new hope to people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with the COVID-19 pandemic prompting some of the first innovations in treatment models in 30 years.

See more:

• Faculty story
• First author, Dr Narelle Cox, describing the research (video 2:57 mins).

Managing patients with lung disease at home

On-line rehabilitation for home-based patients works well

One of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic is the need to manage very sick people (non-COVID and COVID patients both) while they remain in home isolation. This is particularly important for people who suffer respiratory illness and can no longer attend hospitals for their regular appointments.

A program developed by Monash researcher, Professor Anne Holland, has seen a 20-fold increase in its use globally with a major spike in traffic to the site following promotion by the American Thoracic Society.