Background: Growing populations of elderly patients with advanced stages of COPD or heart failure (HF) urge the need for specialized health care in the patients' home. A telemonitoring study has been initiated including patients using digital pens. Health care was provided by the specialized home care unit at a university hospital. Through an IT system the staff checked all daily patient reports. We hypothesized that the two groups of patients, advanced COPD or HF, would exhibit differences regarding exacerbations and the need of health care.

Objective: To study exacerbations of COPD or HF, and patient health care consumption.

Methods: A tele-monitoring system, the Health diary, which is based on digital pen technology, was employed. Exacerbations were identified using information provided through the telemonitoring system. Consumed health care was assessed as the number of patient contacts (home visits or telephone consultations).

Results: Presently, 33 patients with advanced disease are enrolled (13 COPD and 20 HF patients) of which 11 patients (6 COPD and 5 HF patients) have completed the 1-yr study period or have died during the study period (2 COPD and 4 HF patients). Exacerbations were 2.8 and 0.8 and patient contacts were 96 and 42 per COPD and HF patient, respectively. While HF patients were significantly older than COPD patients, the two groups demonstrated no difference regarding gender distribution and comorbidity.

Conclusions: COPD patients exhibit exacerbations more frequently and demand much more home health care than patients with HF do. It seems that this difference of health care consumption is mainly due to disease characteristics.