The Patient Briefcase - also known as the COPD Briefcase - is a telemedicine solution developed and launched at Odense University Hospital (OUH) in cooperation with the Danish enterprise Medisat. The COPD Briefcase allows patients to communicate with hospital staff via video. In addition, relevant medical devices can be connected to the Briefcase, so that treatment and monitoring can be carried out at the patients' own homes, from where data are sent directly to the healthcare personnel at the hospital, who will then be able to assess, advise and determine treatment pathways. Currently, the COPD Briefcase is a regular part of the treatment of COPD patients at OUH.

The COPD Briefcase is instated at the patients' homes after discharge, so that they from there can communicate with a nurse via the Briefcase. During the first week after discharge the nurse will make a daily video call to the patient via the COPD Briefcase and measure blood oxygen levels and lung function by means of measuring devices supplied. The data is transmitted directly to the nurse. In this way, the patient's condition is checked on a daily basis, and exacerbations, if any, can usually be taken care of before they become serious and lead to hospitalization.

At the beginning of the implementation stage of the COPD Briefcase, a randomised PhD study trial showed the potentials of the solution, which was then implemented at OUH. See video about the solution in operation at OUH HERE.

Purpose and vision

The project aims to free up beds in hospitals by treating as many patients in their own homes as possible, but more evidence of clinical, economic and organisational effects are required before the use of the Briefcase can be further expanded within the lung department and other departments of OUH and subsequently to other hospitals in the region.

Consequently, more PhD studies will be initiated at OUH to highlight these aspects and to generate more evidence and improve the basis for decision making. Thus, the projects will also act as data collectors for the further development of the COPD Briefcase.

Expected results

The PhD studies are to document the expected effects of the COPD Briefcase e.g. whether COPD patients are hospitalised less often if they receive treatment through the Briefcase; whether costs can be reduced by hospitalising patients in their own homes rather than in a hospital; and whether the COPD Briefcase is instrumental in facilitating more efficient hospital workflows.