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Published on: August 9, 2024
It Is Not Just the FEV1 That Matters, but the Personal Goals We Reach Along the Way: Qualitative, Multicenter,
Martinus C Oppelaar1, Lara S van den Wijngaart1, Peter J F M Merkus1
1Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Amalia Children's Hospital, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Insights
Patients and healthcare professionals find online forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) telemonitoring beneficial for pediatric asthma management. Strategies should focus on individual goals rather than measurement frequency.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Digital Health
- Pediatric Medicine
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) telemonitoring for pediatric asthma.
- A lack of consensus exists regarding the optimal implementation of FEV1 telemonitoring in pediatric asthma care.
- Understanding patient and healthcare professional (HCP) perspectives is crucial for effective FEV1 telemonitoring strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore patient and HCP perceptions and experiences with FEV1 home monitoring in pediatric asthma.
- To gather insights into the practical use and perceived benefits of FEV1 telemonitoring.
- To inform the development of effective FEV1 home monitoring guidelines for pediatric asthma.
Main Methods:
- A qualitative, multicenter, prospective, observational study involving pediatric asthma patients (aged 6-16) and HCPs.
- Surveys administered at the beginning and end of the study to assess participant views.
- Secondary outcome measured FEV1 device usage over a 4-month period.
Main Results:
- High survey response rates (97% initial, 87% final) indicate strong participant engagement.
- Both patients and HCPs expressed receptiveness to online FEV1 home monitoring, viewing it as beneficial for asthma control, self-management, and disease perception.
- Key concerns included the reliability of FEV1 devices and the validity of home-performed lung function tests.
Conclusions:
- Online FEV1 home monitoring is generally well-received by pediatric asthma patients and HCPs.
- While measurement frequency varied significantly, the perceived benefits of FEV1 telemonitoring remained consistent.
- Future FEV1 telemonitoring strategies should prioritize individual patient goals over the frequency of measurements.
Background:
The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted the use of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) telemonitoring in pediatric asthma, but a consensus on its most efficient and effective implementation is still lacking. To find answers, it is important to study how such an intervention is perceived, experienced, and used by both patients and health care professionals (HCPs).
Objective:
The aim of this study was to provide perspectives on how FEV1 home monitoring should be used in pediatric asthma.
Methods:
This is a qualitative, multicenter, prospective, observational study which included patients with asthma aged 6-16 and HCPs. Primary outcomes were results of 2 surveys that were sent to all participants at study start and after 3-4 months. Secondary outcomes consisted of FEV1 device usage during 4 months after receiving the FEV1 device.
Results:
A total of 39 participants (26 patients and 13 HCPs) were included in this study. Survey response rates were 97% (38/39) at the start and 87% (34/39) at the end of the study. Both patients and HCPs were receptive toward online FEV1 home monitoring and found it contributive to asthma control, self-management, and disease perception. The main concerns were about reliability of the FEV1 device and validity of home-performed lung function maneuvers. FEV1 devices were used with a median frequency of 7.5 (IQR 3.3-25.5) during the 4-month study period.
Conclusions:
Patients and HCPs are receptive toward online FEV1 home monitoring. Frequency of measurements varied largely among individuals, yet perceived benefits remained similar. This emphasizes that online FEV1 home monitoring strategies should be used as a means to reach individual goals, rather than being a goal on their own.
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