Completing asthma action plans by screen-sharing in video-consultations: practical insights from a feasibility assessment

Abstract

Supported self-management is a vital component of routine asthma care. Completion of an agreed personalised asthma action plan is integral to implementation of this care, and traditionally this requires a face-to-face consultation. We aimed to assess the practical feasibility and potential utility of using screen-sharing technologies to complete asthma action plans remotely. Assisted by people with diverse technological ability and using a range of devices, we tested the technological feasibility of completing action plans in remote consultations using two leading video-conference systems. We used a semi-structured topic guide to check functionality and lead feedback discussions. Themes were interpreted using the Model for ASsessment of Telemedicine applications (MAST). Discussions with ten participants (age 20–74 years) revealed that screen-sharing was practical on most devices. Joint editing of an action plan (as was possible with Zoom) was considered to encourage participation and improve communication. Attend Anywhere had less functionality than Zoom, but the NHS badging was reassuring. Most participants appreciated the screen-sharing and considered it enabled a meaningful discussion about their action plan. Online shared completion of action plans is feasible with only a few (potentially remediable) practical problems. These findings suggest this may be a fruitful approach for further study—made more urgent by the imperative to develop remote consultations in the face of a global pandemic.