The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended the use of two digital technologies to support people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Its medical technologies advisory committee has said that MyCOPD and SPACE for COPD can be used in pulmonary rehabilitation – although they agreed these would not replace face-to-face rehabilitation in the care pathway.
Both of the platforms provide exercise programmes and education sessions to help people with COPD manage their own condition. NICE said they could be appropriate for those people who do not have a service where they live, do not wish to be seen in person, or would prefer not to be treated in person for convenience.
They will now be subject to regulatory approval within NHS England’s Digital Technology Assessment Criteria. NICE has launched a consultation on their use to run until 10 January, but said there are no safety concerns.
Huge unmet need
Mark Chapman, interim director of the Health Technologies Programme at NICE, said: “There is a huge unmet need for access to pulmonary rehabilitation programmes by people with COPD. Our committee hopes by recommending two digital technologies which provide these programmes they could help people living in areas without access to an in-person service to receive the vital care they need.
“With more than a million people suffering from this debilitating condition, it’s important that NICE continues to focus on what matters most and continue to provide useful and useable guidance for the conditions which severely impact people and the health service.”
