Impact of the implementation of a telemedicine program on patients diagnosed with asthma

Abstract

BackgroundAsthma is one of the most common respiratory ailments worldwide. Despite broad understanding of the illness and of the available therapeutic options for it, patients with serious asthma suffer poor monitoring of their illness in 50% of cases.AimTo assess the impact of the implementation of a mobile application (ESTOI) to control asthma in patients diagnosed with the illness, their adherence to treatment, and their perceived quality of life.MethodologyRandomized clinical trial with 52 weeks’ follow-up of patients with asthma seen in a specialized hospital for their treatment in Spain. Some 108 included patients will be divided into two groups. The intervention group will undergo more exhaustive follow-up than normal, including access to the ESTOI application, which will have various categories of attention: control of symptoms, health recommendations, current treatment and personalized action plan, PEF record, nutritional plan, and chat access with a medical team. The asthma control questionnaire ACT is the main assessment variable. Other variables to be studied include an adherence test for the use of inhalers (TAI), the number of exacerbations, maximum exhalation flow, exhaled nitric oxide test, hospital anxiety and depression scale, asthma quality-of-life questionnaire, forced spirometry parameters (FVC, FEV1, and PBD), and analytic parameters (eosinophilia and IGE). The data will be collected during outpatient visits.Trial registrationThis trial has registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT06116292).