Table 1 Contrasts between telemonitoring of COVID-19 patients and IPF patients

Novel, acute condition with unknown nature

A rare, chronic, progressive and relatively well-studied condition

Diverse population

Mainly male population (70%), mean age > 60 yr

Built from scratch in short period of time, adapted and refined during the pandemic

Incrementally developed telemonitoring tool, embedded in research

Sudden development in context of crisis, capacity constraints and pressure on healthcare system, multiple local experiments and set-ups

Patient participation in development of tool, active patient representation, continuous evaluation and customization

Self-monitoring and self-management of symptoms by patients using oxygen, thermometer, and pulse oximeter, communicated to own GP (or GP medical post after office hours) by telephone, supplemented if necessary with home visits of GP or homecare worker

A personal platform containing information about the disease, real-time wireless daily home spirometry, online patient-reported outcome measures, medication use, symptoms score and side effects, and video consultations

Responsibilities divided/ delegated over multiple different actors

Local close-knit team of developers and HCP