Minnesota HealthSolutions Corporation (MHS) proposes to develop and evaluate a program to motivate and monitor people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to complete home exercise as part of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. and a very significant cause of morbidity in the elderly, which results in high health care demand PR is a supervised program for people with COPD and is considered an essential component of care. Yet many people are unable to attend PR in a clinical setting. The development of a system that safely allows PR in the patient home with proper monitoring and feedback will provide a significant advance in the health care of COPD patients. COPD patients who exercise at even very low levels significantly lower their risk of hospital admission and mortality. MHS successfully completed phase I of this project. In phase II MHS plans to refine the design and evaluate it in a controlled human study at the Mayo Clinic to determine its effectiveness at improving quality of life and increasing daily steps.

Public Health Relevance

COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. and a very significant cause of morbidity in the elderly. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is considered an essential component of care and has a demonstrated ability to improve quality of life, but most people are unable to attend PR mainly due to distance and transportation. MHS proposes to refine and evaluate a program to motivate and monitor people with COPD to safely complete PR in their home.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Small Business Innovation Research Grants (SBIR) - Phase II (R44)
Project #
2R44HL114162-02A1
Application #
8904899
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-HDM-X (10))
Program Officer
Punturieri, Antonello
Project Start
2012-08-15
Project End
2018-03-31
Budget Start
2015-04-01
Budget End
2016-03-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2015
Total Cost
$373,357
Indirect Cost
Name
Minnesota Healthsolutions Corporation
Department
Type
DUNS #
621641237
City
Saint Paul
State
MN
Country
United States
Zip Code
55105