Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and the James Paget University Hospital are working with health tech supplier Aseptika to introduce a new app said to help reduce asthma attacks.
The project aims to reduce hospital admissions for children and young people at high risk of an asthma attack and is open to those who have been hospitalised following an asthma attack in the last 12 months.
Patients who take part will be provided with an app to manage their health and a small gadget which connects to their smartphone to tell them when to use their inhaler, including a reminder about the right technique. The connecting inhaler tracker also has a lung function monitor to show them how well their lungs are working.
It has been supported by funding from NHS England’s Transformation Directorate and uses a remote monitoring tool called Asthma+me REMOTE. The system alerts parents or carers when control of the child’s asthma is getting worse and provides a dashboard to review.
Dr Bikalpa Neupane and Dr Anjay Pillai, Consultant Paediatricians at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, commented: “We are passionate about avoiding unnecessary admissions to hospital for children with high-risk asthma and winning this award has allowed us to collaborate with great organisations to deliver this project for the children and young people of Norfolk. We hope that the new digital platform will not only help reduce asthma attacks in children and young people and thereby bring down the need for oral corticosteroids and hospital visits, but also empower and promote young people and families to self-manage their asthma better.”
Dr John Chapman, Consultant Paediatrician at the James Paget University Hospital, added: “This is a very exciting project which has the potential to change the way that we look after children with asthma. Remote monitoring will allow us to identify which of our patients are doing well and which ones need more of our attention. This should reduce asthma attacks and visits to our outpatient clinics allowing these children to get on with their lives and their schooling.”
