The use of digital applications in chronic lung diseases in Turkey

<bold>İntroduction:</bold> The COVID-19 pandemic and advancements in technology have made digital health applications popular both in Turkey and globally. <bold>Aim:</bold> The aim of this study is to examine in detail the digital applications used in the field of pulmonary diseases in Turkey. <bold>Method:</bold> Digital applications in the field of pulmonary diseases in our country face barriers. These include the need for consensus guidelines that include application areas, deficiencies in technical infrastructure and legal regulations. Although a regulation on telemedicine was prepared in our country during the pandemic period, it took approximately 2 years for it to be enacted and telehealth services officially gained legitimacy with the publication of the regulation in the Official Gazette in February 2022. <bold>Results:</bold> There is currently no officially approved platform in Turkey specifically for lung diseases. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the decrease in patients seeking care at health facilities has led to a rapid and unexpected rise of digital health applications both worldwide and in our country. In Turkey, tools like SpiroHome and pratiKOAH, which was developed by the Turkish Thoracic Society to assist education for health professionals in monitoring respiratory function for chronic diseases like Asthma, COPD and Cystic Fibrosis, have been introduced. <bold>Conclusion:</bold> Telehealth applications are being used in many processes related to chronic lung diseases in many countries around the world and in Turkey. While telehealth applications are being used in many health centers in our country and their importance has been demonstrated within the scope of scientific studies, they are still in a situation where job descriptions have not been defined.