Integrated Digitally Enhanced Care for Long-term Conditions- Asthma

Asthma is a common lung condition that causes long term breathing difficulties. There is currently no cure for asthma but the use of simple inhaler treatments can keep the symptoms under control. If asthma symptoms get worse this can lead to an asthma attack which can be life-threatening. It has been shown that most of the deaths related to asthma are preventable if asthma is managed using the correct treatment plan however a significant proportion of patients are not using the right inhalers or not using them properly and do not know how to manage their asthma if it gets worse. There is currently an unmet need to develop tools that can help improve asthma care, identify high risk patients, closely monitor their asthma control in 'real time' and intervene to optimise treatment to prevent asthma attacks. Both patients and indeed, the current British Thoracic Society (BTS) asthma guidelines recognise that technology has the potential to be used to improve asthma care and could lead to reductions in National Health Service (NHS) services use and improvements in symptoms. Patients with better controlled asthma are less likely to be admitted to hospital and more likely to have an improved quality of life. This study aims to evaluate the delivery of an asthma service using an online doctor providing remote consultations paired with a self-management asthma app. The patients will use the app to input and track their symptoms, which will be monitored by a doctor remotely who can provide advice, optimise medications and intervene in a timely manner to prevent an asthma attack. The service is interactive, so the patient and doctor can communicate with one another 7 days a week by completing a consultation or sending messages via the online doctor portal or speaking on the telephone. The app will relay information about environmental triggers to the patient to help prevent the patient's asthma getting worse. The service will provide a new and potentially more convenient way