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Web-based system improves at-home reporting of OIT for food allergies

Individuals with food allergies were more likely to effectively report home treatment during oral immunotherapy using a Web-based reporting system than a conventional diary, according to study results.

Liat Nachshon, MD, of the Allergy and Immunology Institute at the Assaf-Harofeh Medical Center in Israel, and colleagues developed the electronic reporting system and introduced it to 157 children aged 4 years and younger who were enrolled in milk, peanut or egg oral immunotherapy (OIT) for at least 4 weeks. The researchers sought to see if participants would be more compliant in reporting home therapy via a Web-based system vs. a paper-based diary.

Using patient demographics and medical details, including allergens and starting dose, the researchers created individual patients’ files on the website. Participants received a detailed explanation about the reporting system, and they practiced using the program before initiating home treatment. After a daily dose was finished, participants completed and sent their questionnaires through the reporting system to the website once a day. Only completed reports were accepted by the website.

Participants reported their daily amount of consumed allergen doses, whether premedication was administered, whether any reaction occurred and what treatment steps they took. More than 90% of participants successfully sent daily reports for at least 24 consecutive days. The researchers wrote that this exceeded the success rate (75%) from a previous e-mail–driven study (P = .0009).

The researchers said paper-based diaries have become increasingly unreliable for several reasons.

“First, there is no validation that patients are in fact entering their reaction histories on the date on which the reactions occurred, subjecting their reports to recall bias,” they wrote. “Second, reaction histories with paper-based diaries were submitted at the monthly visit and thus timely adjustments to the patient’s dosing could not be performed.”

The researchers also said their results justify the possible benefits to using a Web-based reporting system for home treatment during OIT for food allergens.

“Its use potentially decreases manpower needs and, as such, could decrease the overall costs of an OIT program,” the researchers wrote. – by Ryan McDonald

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.