UK Doctors Turn to mHealth to Teach Children How to Use an Inhaler

July 31, 2019 - Healthcare providers in the UK are hoping a new mHealth app that uses augmented reality and gaming techniques can help young people with asthma learn how to use their inhalers.

The MySpira app, developed by Orbital Media and the University of Suffolk, aims to reach an estimated 90 percent of people living with asthma who aren’t using their inhalers properly. Improper use reduces the effectiveness of treatment, resulting in wasted medications, adverse health issues and, eventually, hospitalization and death.

“Asthma can be a life-threatening condition but managing it properly can help keep sufferers symptom free,” Simon Rudland, a medical advisor to MySpira and partner at the UK’s Stowhealth health system, told Digital Health Age. “It is important that children are taught from a young age so they can take control of their asthma.”

The idea is to give asthma patients – especially children – an easy-to-use mobile health resource that will help them improve care management. According to officials, a study of 96 children ages 9-16 found that the use of a digital health tool improved medication management by 26 percent over the use of videos and 70 percent over the use of paper handouts.

“The initial results of this research are extremely promising, improving both technique and compliance,” Rudland said. “Not only does this lead to better health long-term, but if adopted nationwide, could dramatically reduce the number of emergency cases, resulting in fewer hospitalizations. We are looking at integrating this app into our existing asthma support services in the future.”

The problem isn’t unique to the UK. Earlier this year, a study launched by digital health management company Propeller Health found that 84 percent of asthma patients on this side of the Atlantic aren’t using their inhalers correctly, making the medication less effective and increasing the risk of more damaging health outcomes down the road.

“Doctors have known for years that many patients do not follow the recommended inhaler instructions,” David Stempel, MD, Propeller's senior vice president of medical and clinical affairs, said in a press release. “This is the first time we've had objective data from digital medicines to observe it outside of the clinic.”

When inhalers are used properly, experts have found that hospitalizations for asthma attacks are cut in half and deaths are reduced by 75 percent.  

Healthcare providers say mHealth and telehealth tools that offer on-demand resources to patients and connect them with care providers can help improve medication management and make treatments more effective.

“Digital medicines have the potential to not only assess inhaler technique in real-time but also notify a patient when they're not using the inhaler properly and provide education and sources for training, which goes beyond what a clinician can do for the patient day-to-day,” Stempel said.

In the UK, meanwhile, care providers are hoping the MySpira app, which uses a 20-minute program to teach asthma patients about asthma keywords, triggers, different types of inhalers, how to prepare the inhaler and spacer, and how to inhale the medicine correctly, can bridge that knowledge gap.

“A good inhaler technique significantly cuts the risk of having an asthma attack – if your technique isn’t correct, you might not be getting the full dose of medicine prescribed,” said Karyn McBride, an asthma nurse and medical advisor to MySpira. “Common mistakes I see include inadequate shaking of canister before inhalation, inhaling too fast or too slowly and not using it at the right angle. I’ve even seen somebody leave the cap on.”

“There is a real need for better – and modernized – education, so patients, including children, can take control of their asthma,” she added.