Valutazione economica del telemonitoraggio domiciliare in malattie polmonari croniche.

We attempted to quantify the cost-effectiveness ratio in telemonitoring lung function of patients affected by Cystic Fibrosis (CF). We examined the costs of Telehomecare (THC) in the follow-up of CF patients. We considered the failed hospitalizations as incomes. A standardized questionnaire was submitted by e-mail to verify the patient satisfaction and expectation levels. We studied 3 groups of patients: a) 17 CF patients in THC; b) 28 CF patients not followed by THC and c) 28 non-CF patients affected by chronic diseases and not followed by THC. Some parameters with no market value were evaluated using "willingness to pay" (WTP). An annual saving of €.5241 was calculated for single FC patient followed by THC. The WTP analysis showed that patients affected by chronic diseases expected very much from new technologies. The THC use in CF shows several advantages as fewer hospitalization and economical saving in a general trend of limited economical resources. Further studies are needed to confirm our data.