Telehealth Services for Persons With Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease and Their Informal Caregivers in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The objective of this article is to provide clinicians, from multiple disciplines, important clinical information to consider when providing health education and emotional support to persons with chronic lower respiratory disease (CLRD) and their informal caregivers via telehealth. The information contained in this article is based on a literature review, a needs and preferences survey of this population (n = 49 persons with CLRD; n = 49 informal caregivers) that was part of a larger study (Enhancing Rural Interventions for Caregiver Health [En-Rich]), and our clinical experience. The En-Rich needs and preferences survey was conducted to help shape telehealth services for this population particularly those residing in rural/geographically isolated areas as well as those who are not physically well enough to attend clinic-based appointments. As a result of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the use of telehealth services for clinical care has dramatically risen for a variety of reasons. We surmise that persons with CLRD and their informal caregivers are particularly open to telehealth services at this time, given the risk of exposure to the virus upon leaving their homes. As such, we provide information about the physical and psychosocial aspects of living with CLRD from the perspective of patients and informal caregivers along with 7 practical recommendations for providing telehealth services to this population. Our aim is to better equip telehealth clinicians who are working with this special population through our interdisciplinary lens (gerontology, nursing, health psychology, and social work). Clinical Impact Statement A formal literature review, needs and preferences survey, and our interdisciplinary clinical expertise shaped our recommendations for the provision of telehealth education and emotional support for persons with chronic lower respiratory disease (CLRD) and their informal caregivers. The recommendations were written in the context of COVID-19 pandemic which has increased the need for telehealth services for this clinical population as well as empirically supported education for the clinicians who serve them.