Clinical Blog
Published: November 30, 2021

Digital health solutions are shown to help improve asthma self-management. What about COPD?

Digital health solutions are beginning to transform chronic respiratory disease care.

Extensive research has demonstrated that the use of digital health tools can help people with asthma successfully self-manage their conditions. Several studies with asthma participants have shown that pairing a medical device to an associated digital platform (such as a mobile app or provider dashboard) can lead to positive health outcomes including increased medication adherence, decreased rescue inhaler use and lower symptom burden.1,2

However, far fewer studies have been conducted to understand how the use of digital health tools can impact those with COPD. With more than 15 million Americans affected by COPD3, a projected economic burden of nearly $50 billion dollars4 and a ranking as the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S., Propeller believes that building this body of research will be instrumental in continuing to steer advancements in chronic respiratory disease care.

To help address this, the COPD Foundation and GSK collaborated with Propeller to conduct a 24-week pilot study with a COPD population. We sought to determine the extent to which people with COPD voluntarily engage with a digital health solution (the Propeller platform an inhaler sensor and mobile app) and how it impacted their medication adherence and rescue inhaler use over time.

The study had 122 participants who were recruited from the COPD Foundation’s COPD Patient-Powered Research Network (PPRN). At study end, we found that controller medication adherence was high, averaging 77% throughout the entire study period. For a subgroup of 51 participants who used rescue inhalers, they experienced a 10% decrease in rescue use and an 8% increase in rescue-free days.

When it came to app usage over the 24 weeks, we found that participants typically spent a little under 10 minutes per session engaging with app content. This could have included reading evidence-based health and breathing tips or learning more about their medication use patterns and triggers.

In addition to understanding medication adherence and app usage, our team was also interested in the overall participant experience. Using exit surveys and a focus group, we were able to assess participant sentiment toward the platform. Participants self-reported that they were overall very satisfied with the Propeller platform and found the inhaler sensor and mobile app easy to use and the audio-visual medication reminders helpful.

Infographic summarizing key takeaways from COPD focus group

Although more research still needs to be done, the results of this study signal an optimistic outlook for people with COPD using digital health solutions as part of their respiratory care plan. The positive feedback on the Propeller platform further reinforces the notion that with the right resources, people with COPD can feel more empowered to take control of managing their condition and potentially experience better outcomes.

To learn how Propeller can support your patients or health plan members with COPD, contact us at provider@propellerhealth.com.


1 Moore et al. (2021)
2 Merchant et al. (2016)
3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on COPD (2021)
4 CDC on COPD Costs (2018)

You Might Also Like

To Boost ROI, Life Sciences Needs To Deliver What HCPs Want: Digital Companions
Today’s evolving healthcare landscape is placing increasing emphasis on whole-person care. The shift has led healthcare professionals (HCPs) to seek digital solutions that support them in creating personalized and engaging care journeys for their patients. Therefore, if life sciences wants to drive financial returns now and stay ahead in today’s competitive healthcare market, they must […]
Life Sciences Is Using Digital Companions To Create Patient-Centric Drug Experiences — And Boosting ROI in the Process
The future of healthcare revolves around creating a patient-centric ecosystem. In today’s landscape, 81% of patients report being unsatisfied with their healthcare experience.1 One of the key drivers of their dissatisfaction? Lack of patient involvement: As many as 90% of patients want shared decision-making with their physician.2 Digital companions — beyond-the-pill digital solutions that deliver […]
The Critical Prescription for Success: 4 Direct Returns Life Sciences Can Realize From a Digital Companion
Digital health’s critical role in transforming healthcare and drug delivery is not a vision for a distant future — it’s the present reality. In the past three years, the top five life sciences companies have announced more than 50 investments in digital health technology companies and partnerships.1 Life sciences is transforming traditional products into data-rich, […]