Research participants along with their spouse or carer, and health professionals who took part in the CHROMED trial were invited to a feedback session on Wednesday 23rd March at the Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa to mark the end of the study and to hear about initial results from the trial.
CHROMED (Clinical Trials for Elderly Patients with Multiple Diseases) is a European Commission (Framework 7) funded randomised control trial (RCT) which was conducted over three years in seven European countries. The study looked at the impact of telemonitoring equipment in the homes of older people (aged 60 years or over) with a chronic condition commonly known as COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and an associated heart condition. The University of Lincoln and Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS) collaborated closely on this study with partners in Liverpool, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, and Slovenia.
Dr Jo Middlemass, study research nurse, gave a presentation detailing the early results. In the feasibility (testing) phase a new breathing device (Resmon Pro) was shown to have identified a chest infection five days before it was treated. It was too early to present the results from the main study but Jo described the findings from interviews carried out with those participants who had the equipment in their homes. David Madeley (technician from Electronic Assistive Technology Service at LCHS) set up the equipment at the event to give everyone who wished to do so, and particularly those who were in the observation arm, an opportunity to try the equipment.
The event was positively received and culminated in a delicious afternoon tea!
By Dr Jo Middlemass