Parent Preferences for Methods and Content of Mobile Technology–Based Asthma Medication Adherence Intervention

Abstract

A B S T R A C TOBJECTIVES: Mobile technology-based asthma medication adherence interventions can be targeted to children during periods of high risk, including the transition from hospital to home or when refill behavior suggests declining adherence. Our objective was to develop insight into parent use of mobile technology and their preferences for a mobile technology-based asthma intervention. METHODS:By using qualitative methods, 20 interviews of parents of children with asthma were conducted. The open-ended, semistructured interview guides included questions about current mobile technology use, barriers to controller medication adherence, and preferences for methods and content of a mobile technology-based asthma intervention. Using grounded theory methodology, investigators coded the transcripts and identified emerging themes.RESULTS: Twenty parents completed interviews. Half of the children were 7 to 12 years old. Eighty percent had public insurance. Sixty-five percent had a previous hospitalization. Three major themes were identified: chronic disease management assistance, distinct preferences for risk communication, and electronic reachability. Chronic disease management assistance included parents recognizing that busy lifestyles contribute to adherence challenges and welcoming a program to assist them. Distinct preferences for risk communication included a preference for 2-way communication via text message or phone call at least monthly. Under the theme of electronic reachability, all enrolled parents had smartphones and used them daily.CONCLUSIONS: Parents of children with asthma are open to communicating with asthma providers through mobile technology. This information can be used to inform the development of mobile technology-based interventions to improve care for children with asthma during periods of high risk, including the transition from hospital to home.

Medication Adherence Reminder System for Virtual Home Assistants: Mixed Methods Evaluation Study

“…Technological advances, such as smartphones and electronic pillboxes, have been increasingly used as medication reminders [ 12 - 15 ]. For example, there are several smartphone apps that target disease management, including medication adherence, for people with diabetes, HIV, cancer, and other chronic conditions [ 16 - 20 ].…”

Sensor-Based Electronic Monitoring for Asthma: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…This population generally suffers from higher rates of asthma-related morbidity and mortality 23,24 and reports lower rates of medication adherence [25][26][27] than non-Hispanic white children. In other studies, researchers indicate that sensorbased interventions designed to increase medication adherence are perceived favorably by high-using minority patients, 13,14,28 which suggests that such approaches hold promise to reduce asthma burden in these highly affected populations.…”

“…Furthermore, the integration of sensor-based inhaler monitoring with mobile applications may reduce asthma-related health care use by assisting asthma patients between health care provider visits. 12 Although these interventions may hold promise for reducing asthma burden among urban, minority populations disproportionately affected by this disease, 13 the effectiveness of sensor-based inhaler monitoring in improving asthma outcomes among such populations is unknown. 14 Consequently, the Improving Technology-Assisted Recording of Asthma Control in Children (iTRACC) trial was aimed to determine the effectiveness of a clinically integrated, sensor-based inhaler monitoring intervention on improving asthma symptom control and asthma-related outcomes among a diverse sample of children with moderate-to-severe asthma.…”

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