Wide access to remote care
E-health tools are becoming increasingly available – also in the form of mobile applications. In the GINA 2019 report, electronic inhaler monitoring was endorsed as “an objective tool to assess adherence”. Over the past few years, digital health has thus become a research area to achieve personalized asthma management. Solutions in this area include various devices, actions plans, or patient education material. The widespread use of smartphones has led to major advances in m-Health (mobile health). In 2019 more than 500 asthma-related apps were available. Most are for health education, tracking symptoms, or providing environmental alerts. Research suggests that using smart inhalers can make it easier to follow medical advice and take medication. So digital interventions are really promising tools to enable disease monitoring and personalization of treatment. However, to be effective, solutions should consist of both hardware and software components that monitor clinical parameters and prioritize users’ convenience.
Is there a way for better asthma control among children?
Research shows that there are currently two main reasons for low levels of asthma control among young children. The first is that they are unwilling or unable to take their inhaler correctly or simply do not take their medication regularly, i.e. poor adherence to medication. With the advent of new technologies, electronic measurement of adherence rates has become possible. In addition, regular feedback on these indicators can effectively improve asthma control. Many different digital technologies have been developed to support the monitoring of children and adolescents. For example, the FindAir system can be used to check and enhance control through a smart inhaler in the form of a sensor, the FindAir ONE, and the FindAir app that connects to it. The system allows you to access information about your child’s asthma that was previously unavailable. It is easy to use, as you simply place the sensor on your child’s inhaler and it automatically collects information about any exacerbations that occur. FindAir features that enable even better control are:
- Inhaler location – a notification to help you with finding your inhaler, and a reminder when you leave home without it,
- Medication reminders – a signal to help you with taking medications regularly to take your medication regularly to reduce the number of exacerbations and maintain proper symptom control,
- Statistics – access to all historical information and summaries of your inhaler use,
- Reports – all collected data can be downloaded or printed as a PDF report to discuss with your doctors.
Read more: The main issue in achieving good asthma control is remembering everything
Summary
Asthma, which affects one in every ten children, is very troublesome. Managing asthma may be very troublesome, especially for parents. Symptoms such as breathing difficulties and shortness of breath mean that the child’s activities may have to be restricted. The result can be stressful for both the child and their parents. The use of tools, which, with minimal input, may give the child better control and allow the child to get into the habit of taking medication every day can make exacerbations less frequent. Proper asthma control allows children to experience fewer limitations in daily life, and participate in all school activities.
