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A digital health application for managing pediatric asthma: Use and benefits

  • Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Childhood asthma is a common and serious chronic lung disease. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies may assist clinical providers, caregivers, and children in managing pediatric asthma. This study evaluated the Nemours app, an mHealth application. We examined: a) frequency of data access by providers and feature use by caregivers (parents/legal guardians) of 5–11-year-old children diagnosed with asthma and b) whether utilization was related to benefits. Nine providers (allergists/pulmonologists) and 80 patient-families (caregiver/child dyads) participated. Two-years of retrospective data were obtained for asthma control, in-person urgent healthcare utilization, and app utilization. Six-months of prospective data included asthma control, in-person urgent healthcare utilization, app utilization, surveys, and health literacy screeners. Providers (56%) accessed app data and caregivers (61%) utilized the app. Caregiver use of messaging feature predicted gains in health literacy scores (b =.44, p =.041), suggesting app use may offer some educational benefits. Implementation of strategies that support app engagement and utilization may help to maximize intended benefits.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)370-386
Number of pages17
JournalInformatics for Health and Social Care
Volume48
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2023
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Mobile health (mHealth)
  • app use
  • asthma management
  • pediatric asthma

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