Digital tools in allergy and respiratory care

Elisabeth Verhoeven 1, Philip Rouadi 2, Eliane Abou Jaoude 3, Mohamed Abouzakouk 4, Ignacio Ansotegui 5, Mona Al-Ahmad 6, Maryam Ali Al-Nesf 7, Cecilio Azar 8 9, Sami Bahna 10, Lyda Cuervo-Pardo 11, Zuzana Diamant 12 13 14 15, Habib Douagui 16, R Maximiliano Gómez 17, Sandra González Díaz 18, Joseph K Han 19, Samar Idriss 20 21, Carla Irani 22, Marilyn Karam 23 24, Ludger Klimek 25, Talal Nsouli 3, Glenis Scadding 26 27, Brent Senior 28, Pete Smith 29, Anahí Yáñez 30, Fares Zaitoun 31, Peter W Hellings 1 32 33 34


 

Affiliations

23 June 2022

-

doi: 10.1016/j.waojou.2022.100661

Abstract

Patient care in the allergy and respiratory fields is advancing rapidly, offering the possibility of the inclusion of a variety of digital tools that aim to improve outcomes of care. Impaired access to several health care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic has considerably increased the appetite and need for the inclusion of e-health tools amongst end-users. Consequently, a multitude of different e-health tools have been launched worldwide with various registration and access options, and with a wide range of offered benefits. From the perspective of both patients and healthcare providers (HCPs), as well as from a legal and device-related perspective, several features are important for the acceptance, effectiveness,and long-term use of e-health tools. Patients and physicians have different needs and expectations of how digital tools might be of help in the care pathway. There is a need for standardization by defining quality assurance criteria. Therefore, the Upper Airway Diseases Committee of the World Allergy Organization (WAO) has taken the initiative to define and propose criteria for quality, appeal, and applicability of e-health tools in the allergy and respiratory care fields from a patient, clinician, and academic perspective with the ultimate aim to improve patient health and outcomes of care.

Keywords: Allergy; App; Asthma; Chronic rhinosinusitis; Digital tools; E-health; Mobile application; Quality criteria; Rhinitis; Standardization.

References

  1.  
    1. Committee G.S. 2021. 2021 GINA Report.
  2.  
    1. Wise S.K., Lin S.Y., Toskala E., et al. International consensus statement on allergy and rhinology: allergic rhinitis. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2018;8(2):108–352. - PMC - PubMed
  3.  
    1. Fokkens W.J., Lund V.J., Hopkins C., et al. European position paper on rhinosinusitis and nasal polyps 2020. Rhinology. 2020;58(suppl S29):1–464. - PubMed
  4.  
    1. Gopal G., Suter-Crazzolara C., Toldo L., Eberhardt W. Digital transformation in healthcare - architectures of present and future information technologies. Clin Chem Lab Med. 2019;57(3):328–335. - PubMed
  5.  
    1. De Groot J., Wu D., Flynn D., Robertson D., Grant G., Sun J. Efficacy of telemedicine on glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis. World J Diabetes. 2021;12(2):170–197. - PMC - PubMed
  6.  
    1. Jeffrey B., Bagala M., Creighton A., et al. Mobile phone applications and their use in the self-management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: a qualitative study among app users and non-app users. Diabetol Metab Syndrome. 2019;11:84. - PMC - PubMed
  7.  
    1. Lane D.A., McMahon N., Gibson J., et al. Mobile health applications for managing atrial fibrillation for healthcare professionals and patients: a systematic review. Europace. October 2020;22(10):1567–1578. - PubMed
  8.  
    1. Buss V.H., Leesong S., Barr M., Varnfield M., Harris M. Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus using mobile health technology: systematic review of the literature. J Med Internet Res. 2020;22(10):e21159. - PMC - PubMed
  9.  
    1. Franklin N.C., Lavie C.J., Arena R.A. Personal health technology: a new era in cardiovascular disease prevention. Postgrad Med. 2015;127(2):150–158. - PMC - PubMed
  10.  
    1. Matthews P.M., Block V.J., Leocani L. E-health and multiple sclerosis. Curr Opin Neurol. 2020;33(3):271–276. - PubMed
  11.  
    1. Ginis P., Nieuwboer A., Dorfman M., et al. Feasibility and effects of home-based smartphone-delivered automated feedback training for gait in people with Parkinson's disease: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Park Relat Disord. 2016;22:28–34. - PubMed
  12.  
    1. Whitehead L., Seaton P. The effectiveness of self-management mobile phone and tablet apps in long-term condition management: a systematic review. J Med Internet Res. 2016;18(5):e97. - PMC - PubMed
  13.  
    1. Finkelstein J., Knight A., Marinopoulos S., et al. Enabling patient-centered care through health information technology. Evid Rep Technol Assess. 2012;(206):1–1531. - PMC - PubMed
  14.  
    1. Hamine S., Gerth-Guyette E., Faulx D., Green B.B., Ginsburg A.S. Impact of mHealth chronic disease management on treatment adherence and patient outcomes: a systematic review. J Med Internet Res. 2015;17(2):e52. - PMC - PubMed
  15.  
    1. de Jongh T., Gurol-Urganci I., Vodopivec-Jamsek V., Car J., Atun R. Mobile phone messaging for facilitating self-management of long-term illnesses. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;12(12):Cd007459. - PMC - PubMed
  16.  
    1. Slater H., Campbell J.M., Stinson J.N., Burley M.M., Briggs A.M. End user and implementer experiences of mHealth technologies for noncommunicable chronic disease management in young adults: systematic review. J Med Internet Res. 2017;19(12):e406. - PMC - PubMed
  17.  
    1. Dayer L., Heldenbrand S., Anderson P., Gubbins P.O., Martin B.C. Smartphone medication adherence apps: potential benefits to patients and providers. J Am Pharmaceut Assoc. 2003;53(2):172–181. - PMC - PubMed
  18.  
    1. Lee J.A., Choi M., Lee S.A., Jiang N. Effective behavioral intervention strategies using mobile health applications for chronic disease management: a systematic review. BMC Med Inf Decis Making. 2018;18(1):12. - PMC - PubMed
  19.  
    1. Bashshur R.L., Shannon G.W., Smith B.R., et al. The empirical foundations of telemedicine interventions for chronic disease management. Telemed J e Health. 2014;20(9):769–800. - PMC - PubMed
  20.  
    1. Sleurs K., Seys S.F., Bousquet J., et al. Mobile health tools for the management of chronic respiratory diseases. Allergy. 2019;74(7):1292–1306. - PubMed
  21.  
    1. Bédard A., Basagaña X., Anto J.M., et al. Mobile technology offers novel insights into the control and treatment of allergic rhinitis: the MASK study. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2019;144(1):135–143. e6. - PubMed
  22.  
    1. Cingi C., Yorgancioglu A., Cingi C.C., et al. The "physician on call patient engagement trial" (POPET): measuring the impact of a mobile patient engagement application on health outcomes and quality of life in allergic rhinitis and asthma patients. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2015;5(6):487–497. - PubMed
  23.  
    1. Farzandipour M., Nabovati E., Sharif R., Arani M.H., Anvari S. Patient self-management of asthma using mobile health applications: a systematic review of the functionalities and effects. Appl Clin Inf. 2017;8(4):1068–1081. - PMC - PubMed
  24.  
    1. Simpson A.J., Honkoop P.J., Kennington E., et al. Perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals on mHealth for asthma self-management. Eur Respir J. 2017;49(5) - PubMed
  25.  
    1. Bousquet J., Ansotegui I.J., Anto J.M., et al. Mobile technology in allergic rhinitis: evolution in management or revolution in health and care? J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2019;7(8):2511–2523. - PubMed
  26.  
    1. Pattini S., Malizia V., Travaglini A., et al. Telemedicine for allergic patients during COVID-19. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2020;31(Suppl 26):102–104. - PMC - PubMed
  27.  
    1. Tinschert P., Jakob R., Barata F., Kramer J.N., Kowatsch T. The potential of mobile apps for improving asthma self-management: a review of publicly available and well-adopted asthma apps. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2017;5(8):e113. - PMC - PubMed
  28.  
    1. Aung Y.Y.M., Wong D.C.S., Ting D.S.W. The promise of artificial intelligence: a review of the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence in healthcare. Br Med Bull. 2021;139(1):4–15. - PubMed
  29.  
    1. Camacho-Rivera M., Vo H., Huang X., Lau J., Lawal A., Kawaguchi A. Evaluating asthma mobile apps to improve asthma self-management: user ratings and sentiment analysis of publicly available apps. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2020;8(10):e15076. - PMC - PubMed
  30.  
    1. Lombardi C., Bonini M., Passalacqua G. The role of mobile apps in allergic respiratory diseases: an Italian multicentre survey report. Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol. 2018;50(6):268–272. - PubMed
  31.  
    1. Van Bulck P., Cools L., Soumya M.S., et al. A multicenter real-life study on the multiple reasons for uncontrolled allergic rhinitis. Allergy Rhinol. 2021;11(10):1452–1460. - PubMed
  32.  
    1. Stoyanov S.R., Hides L., Kavanagh D.J., Zelenko O., Tjondronegoro D., Mani M. Mobile app rating scale: a new tool for assessing the quality of health mobile apps. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2015;3(1):e27. - PMC - PubMed
  33.  
    1. Stoyanov S.R., Hides L., Kavanagh D.J., Wilson H. Development and validation of the user version of the mobile application rating scale (uMARS) JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2016;4(2):e72. - PMC - PubMed
  34.  
    1. Bravo P., Edwards A., Barr P.J., Scholl I., Elwyn G., McAllister M. Conceptualising patient empowerment: a mixed methods study. BMC Health Serv Res. 2015;15:252. - PMC - PubMed
  35.  
    1. Hellings P.W., Borrelli D., Pietikainen S., et al. European summit on the prevention and self-management of chronic respiratory diseases: report of the European union parliament summit (29 March 2017) Clin Transl Allergy. 2017;7:49. - PMC - PubMed
  36.  
    1. Bousquet J., Addis A., Adcock I., et al. Integrated care pathways for airway diseases (AIRWAYS-ICPs) Eur Respir J. 2014;44(2):304–323. - PubMed
  37.  
    1. Sofiev M., Palamarchuk Y., Bédard A., et al. A demonstration project of global alliance against chronic respiratory diseases: prediction of interactions between air pollution and allergen exposure-the mobile airways sentinel NetworK-impact of air POLLution on asthma and rhinitis approach. Chin Med J (Engl). 2020;133(13):1561–1567. - PMC - PubMed
  38.  
    1. Pizzulli A., Perna S., Florack J., et al. The impact of telemonitoring on adherence to nasal corticosteroid treatment in children with seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. Clin Exp Allergy. 2014;44(10):1246–1254. - PubMed
  39.  
    1. Tran N., Coffman J.M., Sumino K., Cabana M.D. Patient reminder systems and asthma medication adherence: a systematic review. J Asthma. 2014;51(5):536–543. - PubMed
  40.  
    1. Breiteneder H., Peng Y.Q., Agache I., et al. Biomarkers for diagnosis and prediction of therapy responses in allergic diseases and asthma. Allergy. 2020;75(12):3039–3068. - PMC - PubMed
  41.  
    1. Honkoop P.J., Simpson A., Bonini M., et al. MyAirCoach: the use of home-monitoring and mHealth systems to predict deterioration in asthma control and the occurrence of asthma exacerbations; study protocol of an observational study. BMJ Open. 2017;7(1):e013935. - PMC - PubMed
  42.  
    1. Bousquet J., Caimmi D.P., Bedbrook A., et al. Pilot study of mobile phone technology in allergic rhinitis in European countries: the MASK-rhinitis study. Allergy. 2017;72(6):857–865. - PubMed
  43.  
    1. https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/code-conduct-privacy-....
  44.  
    1. Rowland S.P., Fitzgerald J.E., Holme T., Powell J., McGregor A. What is the clinical value of mHealth for patients? NPJ Digit Med. 2020;3:4. - PMC - PubMed
  45.  
    1. Huckvale K., Morrison C., Ouyang J., Ghaghda A., Car J. The evolution of mobile apps for asthma: an updated systematic assessment of content and tools. BMC Med. 2015;13:58. - PMC - PubMed
  46.  
    1. Schwamm L.H. Telehealth: seven strategies to successfully implement disruptive technology and transform health care. Health Aff (Millwood). 2014;33(2):200–206. - PubMed
  47.  
    1. Prokopakis E., Vardouniotis A., Bachert C., et al. Rhinology future debates 2018, a EUFOREA report. Rhinology. 2020;58(4):384–393. - PubMed
  48.  
    1. Hellings P.W., Fokkens W.J., Bachert C., et al. Positioning the principles of precision medicine in care pathways for allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis - a EUFOREA-ARIA-EPOS-AIRWAYS ICP statement. Allergy. 2017;72(9):1297–1305. - PubMed
  49.  
    1. Commission E. GREEN PAPER on mobile Health (mHealth). [Internet] Available from: https://eceuropaeu/digital-single-market/en/news/green-paper-mobile-heal... [Internet]..
  50.  
    1. Stephani V., Opoku D., Quentin W. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials of mHealth interventions against non-communicable diseases in developing countries. BMC Publ Health. 2016;16:572. - PMC - PubMed
  51.  
    1. Beratarrechea A., Lee A.G., Willner J.M., Jahangir E., Ciapponi A., Rubinstein A. The impact of mobile health interventions on chronic disease outcomes in developing countries: a systematic review. Telemed J e Health. 2014;20(1):75–82. - PMC - PubMed

Page Navigation