ISRCTN96634935.

Methods	Randomised controlled trial with nested qualitative study
Participants	Male and female participants with no age limits, registered to Lothian general practices admitted with an exacerbation of COPD as the primary diagnosis to one of the three acute hospitals in Lothian in the previous year.
Interventions	A modified touch screen computer with video capability which is linked by broadband to a secure N3 connection to the Internet. Patients will be given a written management plan and an emergency supply of antibiotics and steroids. Every morning the machine will monitor peak flow and oxygen saturation using validated instruments. This detail will be sent to clinicians in charge of the patients. The respiratory team routinely survey the online data and contact the patients if they have forgotten to send it or are unable to send it. If the information is outside the expected range the clinicians can contact the patient to repeat measurements and institute management.
Outcomes	Time until first hospital admission up to one year post‐randomisation, exacerbations and admissions including bed‐days, deaths, changes in medication, St Georges' Respiratory Questionnaire, hospital anxiety and depression scale, patient knowledge and self efficacy, lung function, patient engagement with procession. Cost effectiveness.
Notes	Trial setting in UK