COPD — Monitoring Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients at Home by a Forced Oscillation Technique Device
Citation(s)
Anzueto A, Leimer I, Kesten S Impact of frequency of COPD exacerbations on pulmonary function, health status and clinical outcomes. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2009;4:245-51.
Donaldson GC, Seemungal TA, Bhowmik A, Wedzicha JA Relationship between exacerbation frequency and lung function decline in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Thorax. 2002 Oct;57(10):847-52. Erratum in: Thorax. 2008 Aug;63(8):753.
Gold PM The 2007 GOLD Guidelines: a comprehensive care framework. Respir Care. 2009 Aug;54(8):1040-9. Review. Erratum in: Respir Care. 2009 Nov;54(11):1501.
Ram FS, Wedzicha JA, Wright J, Greenstone M Hospital at home for patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: systematic review of evidence. BMJ. 2004 Aug 7;329(7461):315. Review. Erratum in: BMJ. 2004 Oct 2;329(7469):773.
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.