Impact of feedback on adherence and clinical outcomes in asthma
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Can electronic data logging/reminder devices attached to inhalers with feedback improve adherence and health outcomes in childhood asthma?
IRAS ID
128438
Contact name
Robert Morton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Children's NHS foundation Trust.
Research summary
Asthma is the commonest chronic disease of childhood. Inhaled steroids are an effective treatment, but it has been well documented that many patients do not manage to take their inhalers all of the time. The amount a patient takes their medication is known as adherence. Non- adherence may be intentional, or unintentional. This project aims to see if clinical outcome can be improved by closely monitoring adherence, feeding this information back to patients, and having alarms on inhalers as reminders. Electronic monitors are small plastic devices which attach to inhalers and record when an inhaler has been used, this information can then be downloaded to a computer. They can also have an alarm on them, which sounds twice a day, to act as a reminder.
In this project, we will fit electronic monitors to children’s inhalers, and randomize them to intervention or control groups. In the intervention group, we will see them in clinic every 3 months, download their adherence data, and give them constructive feedback and advice on improving adherence. We will also activate their alarms to sound twice a day as a reminder.
The control group will have electronic monitors attached to their inhalers and they will be seen at standard clinic visits 3 monthly. We will download their adherence data, but this information will not be fed back to them. They will not receive adherence advice, and their devices will not alarm.
For both groups, on each clinic visit we will monitor their clinical outcome with the “Asthma control questionnaire“ and clinical measurements such as lung function. We will also record asthma exacerbations and GP visits. Parents will be asked to fill out illness perception and medication beliefs questionnaires.
The study will run for a total of 12 months, with clinic visits at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Sheffield Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/YH/0289
Date of REC Opinion
27 Sep 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion