Technology
is associated with a poorer prognosis, including delayed symptom resolution and increased risk of future A&E visits or hospitalisations.8 The deteriorating health of the nation has also had a significant impact on the performance of the NHS. Although life expectancy decreased following the COVID-19 pandemic, it has now started to recover.7
However, the absolute and
relative proportion of our lives spent in poor health has also increased, leading to a rising demand for healthcare services.7
The prevalence
of chronic conditions, such as COPD, is also rising and may increase by 40% by 2030.6
The lack of
investment and spending cuts have meant the NHS has not been able to keep pace with the increasing prevalence of chronic conditions. To meet the growing needs of the population, it is key the NHS adopt more integrated and preventative approaches to the delivery of care through the implementation of new innovations and technologies.
Digital technology in respiratory care The Darzi report made several recommendations, including the increased use of digital technologies and data within the NHS.7
Digital spirometers can provide a range of key respiratory metrics, with changes used to diagnose COPD and can serve as an indicator of oncoming respiratory exacerbations.
To date, the NHS has been relatively
unresponsive with low rates of uptake and investment in technology, including areas such as cardiac and respiratory care. The ability of digital technology and AI to transform care is enormous and a lack of investment in this area has impacted the NHS’ ability to move from a diagnosis-and-treat approach to a predict- and-prevent model of care. This is becoming increasingly important given the shift in the disease burden towards chronic conditions. The use of digital technologies has the
potential to enhance the diagnosis and monitoring of COPD. On average 115,000 people are diagnosed with COPD in the UK each year.9
estimated that technologies aimed at improving the diagnosis of COPD, could save the NHS an estimated £1.5–7.5 million each year.11 The improved monitoring of COPD could also
reduce healthcare costs by enabling the early detection and timely treatment of disease exacerbations. Between 30–50% of people with COPD experience at least one exacerbation per year.12
Often exacerbations became more
frequent (and more severe) with disease severity.12
The occurrence of exacerbations is
associated with a decline in lung function, a worse quality of life and, in some instances, can be fatal.13
Furthermore, the monitoring of
COPD can help guide treatment adjustments and detect problems with adherence or inhaler technique, which could impact therapeutic effectiveness.
However, the average wait for a
COPD diagnosis is also currently around five years.1
These delays in diagnosis can prevent
the use of interventions (lifestyle changes, pharmacological drug treatments) that can slow disease progression and improve quality of life. They are also associated with higher risk of acute exacerbations and increased healthcare utilisation and costs.10
Consequently, it has been
Impact of digital technologies While the uptake of technology by the NHS has been relatively slow, a limited number of digital technologies are already in use for diagnosis and monitoring of COPD, including digital spirometers and telehealth platforms. Other technologies that are showing promise include smart inhalers and physiological monitoring
While the uptake of technology by the NHS has been relatively slow, a limited number of digital technologies are already in use for diagnosis and monitoring of COPD, including digital spirometers and telehealth platforms
devices and smartphone apps. The ability of these technologies to improve outcomes in COPD and reduce healthcare utilisation and costs will ultimately determine whether they will be adopted and implemented within the NHS. Digital spirometers are available
commercially and enable lung function testing to be performed at home. One such example is an FDA-approved Bluetooth and smartphone- enabled digital spirometer that is able to measure a range of key respiratory metrics, including forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). These changes in respiratory metrics can be used to diagnose COPD and can serve as an indicator of oncoming respiratory exacerbations. The device also allows the logging of symptoms and triggers and the sharing of data with healthcare professionals. The use of digital spirometers has been associated with better self-management behaviours and improved outcomes. Another technology finding utility in the NHS in the monitoring of COPD, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, is telehealth. It involves the use of digital technologies, such as smartphones, tablets or computers, to provide remote access to healthcare services through either audio or video calls. A recent survey found around a third of NHS Trusts are already utilising telehealth for the management of COPD.14
The
use of telehealth in COPD has been linked to improved quality of life and reduced hospital readmission rates.15 Other commercially available technologies,
such as smart inhalers, have yet to find utility within the NHS. These electronic devices can
September 2025 I
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