Virtual asthma coaching app aims to improve asthma control, engagement

Key takeaways:

• 55% of participants found the virtual app to be very or extremely helpful.
• 57% of participants had improved asthma management after coaching.

BOSTON — Using virtual asthma coaching improved asthma control in poorly controlled patients, according to a poster presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting.

“Asthma coaching is filling a void for practitioners that don’t have time to do the education,” Leandra Tonweber, PA-C, physician assistant at Allergy & Asthma Network, told Healio. “Anybody that’s 18 and over with asthma that’s not controlled, we’re coaching, and we’re trying to reach underserved areas.”

The single-arm, interventional, prospective study recruited adults aged 18 years or older. Six sessions of virtual asthma coaching alongside an asthma workbook and self-management app were used by participants for 13 months.

Researchers collected data on perceived coaching usefulness, workbook helpfulness, self-management app helpfulness and asthma control measured by the Asthma Control Test (ACT) and Severe Asthma Questionnaire (SAQ).

Among the 39 participants (92% women; 59% non-Hispanic; 62% aged 45+ years), 15 had asthma that was not well controlled (ACT scores of 17-19) or poorly controlled (ACT scores of 5-16). Their baseline mean ACT score of 14.3 increased to 18.8 at 12 weeks (P < .001). Well-controlled asthma was achieved by nine patients (ACT score > 19). In 23 patients, SAQ scores improved by 57% in asthma management and 70% in life quality.

Researchers also conducted exit surveys where they found that among 31 participants who responded, 87% strongly agreed and 13% agreed that the asthma coaching program was useful. Also, 65% of participants considered the written information extremely helpful and 55% felt the app monitoring was very or extremely helpful.

“Many patients are underestimating how poor their asthma is,” Tonweber said. “Patients get used to feeling poorly, and sometimes they don’t realize how good they can feel until they feel better.”

Tonweber explained that the Allergy & Asthma Network is trying to reach minoritized communities or places where there are high asthma rates and a lack of access to care. The coaching app has a broader reach and can help people understand not only the severity of their asthma but how to control it and seek resources.

“It’s empowering patients to understand their disease and feeling empowered to have conversations,” she said.

She also told Healio that the Allergy & Asthma Network’s many goals include working on a new asthma action plan.

“I feel they’re so outdated,” Tonweber said. “There’s a lot. Sometimes there’s just too much in there, sometimes there’s too little. There’s always room for improvement.”

For more information:

Leandra Tonweber can be reached at tonweber@allergyasthmanetwork.org