Adherence and persistence to long-term non-invasive ventilation in home-treated patients with COPD.

<bold>Background:</bold> Long-term non-invasive ventilation (LT-NIV) is often challenged by leaks and discomfort, leading to non-adherence and dropout rates between 10 – 50 %[1]. <bold>Aim:</bold> To investigate a standardized care plans’ (SCP) effect on patient adherence and persistence of LT-NIV use during first year of treatment. <bold>Methods:</bold> Twenty-five COPD patients initiating treatment with LT-NIV (G1) and 25 patients in LT-NIV for mean 844(± 632) days (G2) were included in this one-year real-life study. Patients followed a SCP containing in-hospital- and home-visits and personalized unscheduled contacts. Adherence data from first year of treatment in both groups were collected from telemonitoring at week 1,2,4,13,26,39 and 52. Two mixed models (adjusted for time in study and group) were used to estimate ‘mean time used’ (hours/day) and rates for ‘days-not-used’. During study dropouts (excl. deaths) were registered. <bold>Results:</bold> In G1 mean use decreased from W1; 7.1 [6.3,8.0] to 6.0 [5.1,6.8] hours/day at W2, whereafter mean use increased to 7.4 [6.5,8.4] hours/day at W52. In G2 mean usage dropped continuously from W4 7.4 [6.6,8.3] to W52 6.6 [5.7,7.6] hours/day. No significant between-group difference in ‘mean time use’ was seen. The rate for ‘days-not-used’ were similar between groups. During study only one dropout occurred in G1 (4 %) and none in G2. <bold>Conclusion:</bold> A SCP with optional personalized contacts seems to be effective in terms of optimizing adherence, securing persistent use and minimizing dropouts in new LT-NIV users compared to long term adherers to treatment. 1. Le Mao R, et al. BMJ Open 2024; 14, p 1-9.