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Improved Education and Self-Management In Children and Adolescents With Asthma Using a Personalized Smartphone Application

2014; Elsevier BV; Volume: 133; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.jaci.2013.12.568

1097-6825

David R. Stukus, Gary Phillips, Nabeel Farooqui,

Digital Mental Health Interventions

RationaleElectronic media consumption and mobile device use has rapidly expanded amongst children and adolescents. Engaging this population in asthma self-management is challenging, and suboptimal disease control is associated with increased healthcare utilization, cost and poor outcomes. We created an interactive, personalized smartphone application aimed to teach and improve asthma self-management skills directly to children and teenagers.MethodsA personalized, interactive iOS smartphone application (AsthmaCare) was created using Xcode (Apple Inc. Cupertino CA) and distributed to participants on iPod Touch devices. We conducted a prospective, 30-day pilot study of patients with asthma, ages 9-16 years old and who had been prescribed at least one controller medication, to assess if users engaged in self-management behaviors.Results21 patients completed the 30-day pilot study. Of all participants, 85% reported improved medication adherence by using AsthmaCare. Upon completion, asthma trigger avoidance skills were acquired by 42% of children and implemented by 100%. All participants preferred using AsthmaCare's interactive action plan compared to a written plan. Of all participants, 95% preferred smartphone applications to other methods they previously received for asthma monitoring and education.ConclusionsAsthma educational and self-management content presented in our interactive smartphone app was highly accepted in the pediatric population. Electronic media is emerging as a superior platform to educate and engage this age group and should be considered for future asthma initiatives. Mobile health applications should be further developed to promote and improve asthma management and medication adherence. RationaleElectronic media consumption and mobile device use has rapidly expanded amongst children and adolescents. Engaging this population in asthma self-management is challenging, and suboptimal disease control is associated with increased healthcare utilization, cost and poor outcomes. We created an interactive, personalized smartphone application aimed to teach and improve asthma self-management skills directly to children and teenagers. Electronic media consumption and mobile device use has rapidly expanded amongst children and adolescents. Engaging this population in asthma self-management is challenging, and suboptimal disease control is associated with increased healthcare utilization, cost and poor outcomes. We created an interactive, personalized smartphone application aimed to teach and improve asthma self-management skills directly to children and teenagers. MethodsA personalized, interactive iOS smartphone application (AsthmaCare) was created using Xcode (Apple Inc. Cupertino CA) and distributed to participants on iPod Touch devices. We conducted a prospective, 30-day pilot study of patients with asthma, ages 9-16 years old and who had been prescribed at least one controller medication, to assess if users engaged in self-management behaviors. A personalized, interactive iOS smartphone application (AsthmaCare) was created using Xcode (Apple Inc. Cupertino CA) and distributed to participants on iPod Touch devices. We conducted a prospective, 30-day pilot study of patients with asthma, ages 9-16 years old and who had been prescribed at least one controller medication, to assess if users engaged in self-management behaviors. Results21 patients completed the 30-day pilot study. Of all participants, 85% reported improved medication adherence by using AsthmaCare. Upon completion, asthma trigger avoidance skills were acquired by 42% of children and implemented by 100%. All participants preferred using AsthmaCare's interactive action plan compared to a written plan. Of all participants, 95% preferred smartphone applications to other methods they previously received for asthma monitoring and education. 21 patients completed the 30-day pilot study. Of all participants, 85% reported improved medication adherence by using AsthmaCare. Upon completion, asthma trigger avoidance skills were acquired by 42% of children and implemented by 100%. All participants preferred using AsthmaCare's interactive action plan compared to a written plan. Of all participants, 95% preferred smartphone applications to other methods they previously received for asthma monitoring and education. ConclusionsAsthma educational and self-management content presented in our interactive smartphone app was highly accepted in the pediatric population. Electronic media is emerging as a superior platform to educate and engage this age group and should be considered for future asthma initiatives. Mobile health applications should be further developed to promote and improve asthma management and medication adherence. Asthma educational and self-management content presented in our interactive smartphone app was highly accepted in the pediatric population. Electronic media is emerging as a superior platform to educate and engage this age group and should be considered for future asthma initiatives. Mobile health applications should be further developed to promote and improve asthma management and medication adherence.