Mobile Phone Based Structured Intervention

Although asthma outcomes can be improved with structured care, less than half of people with asthma achieve good control. Part of the problem is poor adherence with self-monitoring and preventive drug regimes. This trial will test whether using mobile phone-based monitoring, as part of a structured care plan, improves clinical outcomes and confidence in people with poorly controlled asthma.

Adults and teenagers with poorly controlled asthma will be recruited and randomly assigned to one of two groups. Those in the mobile phone group will monitor their asthma daily using their mobile phone to record symptoms, medication and lung function. Instantaneous feedback to their phone will provide a visual indication of asthma control and prompts about therapy. The patient and their clinician will have web-based access to all readings. People in the control group will use traditional paper-based monitoring. Under the care of their asthma nurse, both groups will be treated according to the step-wise approach of the BTS/SIGN asthma guideline in order to gain control.

We will use the validated Asthma Control Questionnaire to measure control at baseline, three and six months, and compare improvement in the two groups. We will also assess how confident people feel in controlling their asthma, using a validated measure of self-efficacy, attitudes and knowledge.

Technological solutions to long-term healthcare problems are increasingly being sought by patients, clinicians and policy makers. If successful, our trial could provide timely evidence for the use of information technology to address the long-recognised problem of poor asthma control.