Improving Adherence in Asthma (IAA) V1

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Improving Adherence in Asthma (IAA) through the use of digital inhaler monitors and mobile health technology: A randomised controlled feasibility study.

• IRAS ID

  340464

• Contact name

  Lynn Elsey

• Contact email

  lynn.elsey@manchester.ac.uk

• ISRCTN Number

  ISRCTN17423936

• Duration of Study in the UK

  2 years, 11 months, 30 days

• Research summary

  Steroid inhalers reduce swelling and sensitivity in the lungs in asthma and using them every day lowers the risk of an asthma attack. Despite this, half of asthma patients don’t take their inhaler as prescribed by their doctor, this is called non-adherence, and can cause poorly controlled asthma, damage to the lungs, time off work, hospitalisation, and death. Digital inhaler monitors record use of inhalers through a smartphone app, provide patients with reminders and feedback on their inhaler use and give healthcare professionals information on patient inhaler use. They have been shown to improve asthma control but it is not known which patients would benefit the most (e.g. reduced exacerbations, or hospital attendances) and whether they are cost-effective. This study will examine whether digital inhaler monitoring can cost effectively improve patients’ asthma control when compared to standard asthma care.
  In this study at Wythenshawe hospital, Manchester we will find adult asthma patients (>18years old) on a steroid inhaler who have had at least one asthma exacerbation in the last year. They will be randomised to receive digital inhaler monitors on their preventer and reliever inhalers and a smart phone app and usual asthma care or usual asthma care without monitors. Patients will be followed for one year with assessments at 2, 6 and 12 months to check for differences between the groups in asthma control (i.e. number of exacerbations and hospital admissions). At each visit patients will complete questionnaires on asthma control, quality of life, adherence to inhalers and the impact of their asthma on their daily life and perform breathing tests to check for inflammation in their lungs and reviews of their adherence to inhalers. Once the study is finished participants will be invited to a semi-structured interview to examine their opinion of the digital monitors.
  

• REC name

  North West - Greater Manchester South Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  24/NW/0345

• Date of REC Opinion

  19 Nov 2024

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion