Development and pilot testing of a mobile health solution for asthma self-management: asthma action plan smartphone application pilot study

• Published in: Canadian respiratory journal Vol. 20; no. 4; pp. 301 - 306
• Main Authors: Licskai, Christopher, Sands, Todd W, Ferrone, Madonna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Egypt Pulsus Group Inc 2013; Hindawi Limited
• Subjects: Adult; Asthma - therapy; Canada; Cell Phone - instrumentation; Communication; Disease Management; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Original; Outcome Assessment (Health Care); Patient Compliance; Pilot Projects; Prospective Studies; Quality of Life; Self Care - methods; Telemedicine - instrumentation; Telemedicine - methods; Translational Medical Research - methods
• ISSN: 1198-2241; 1916-7245
• DOI: 10.1155/2013/906710

Collaborative self-management is a core recommendation of national asthma guidelines; the written action plan is the knowledge tool that supports this objective. Mobile health technologies have the potential to enhance the effectiveness of the action plan as a knowledge translation tool. To design, develop and pilot a mobile health system to support asthma self-management. The present study was a prospective, single-centre, nonrandomized, pilot preintervention-postintervention analysis. System design and development were guided by an expert steering committee. The network included an agnostic web browser-based asthma action plan smartphone application (SPA). Subjects securely transmitted symptoms and peak flow data daily, and received automated control assessment, treatment advice and environmental alerts. Twenty-two adult subjects (mean age 47 years, 82% women) completed the study. Biophysical data were received on 84% of subject days (subject day = 1 subject × 1 day). Subjects viewed their action plan current zone of control on 54% and current air quality on 61% of subject days, 86% followed self-management advice and 50% acted to reduce exposure risks. A large majority affirmed ease of use, clarity and timeliness, and 95% desired SPA use after the study. At baseline, 91% had at least one symptom criterion for uncontrolled asthma and 64% had ≥2, compared with 45% (P=0.006) and 27% (P=0.022) at study close. Mean Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire score improved from 4.3 to 4.8 (P=0.047). A dynamic, real-time, interactive, mobile health system with an integrated asthma action plan SPA can support knowledge translation at the patient and provider levels.