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Remote Patient Monitoring and Teleconsultation to Improve Health Outcomes and Reduce Health Care Utilization of
Mattienne van der Kamp1,2, Vera Hengeveld1, Nico Willard3
1Pediatric Department, Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschede, Netherlands.
Insights
This study investigates an eHealth intervention for childhood asthma, combining remote monitoring and teleconsultation. The goal is to reduce healthcare costs and improve outcomes by enabling timely asthma management.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Digital Health
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Childhood asthma significantly burdens healthcare systems, with costs linked to asthma control.
- Timely assessment of asthma deterioration and proper management can prevent substantial costs.
- eHealth technology offers potential for timely and targeted medical anticipation of asthma exacerbations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effectiveness of an eHealth intervention (remote monitoring and teleconsultation) for pediatric asthma patients.
- To reduce healthcare utilization and costs, and improve health outcomes compared to standard care.
- To gain insights from home-monitoring data to enhance future eHealth pediatric asthma care.
Main Methods:
- Prospective randomized controlled effectiveness trial with 40 participants.
- Intervention group receives 3 months of eHealth care; control group receives standard care.
- eHealth intervention includes remote monitoring (spirometry, pulse oximetry, adherence tracking, questionnaires) and teleconsultation; blinded home monitoring for all.
Main Results:
- Study approved and enrollment began February 2023.
- Results are anticipated for publication in July 2024.
Conclusions:
- The study will inform the effectiveness of combined remote patient monitoring and teleconsultation eHealth interventions for pediatric asthma.
- Observational home-monitoring data may improve early detection of asthma deterioration.
- Findings will guide eHealth development and inform healthcare professionals, institutions, and policymakers on efficient pediatric asthma care.
Background:
Childhood asthma is imposing a great financial burden on the pediatric health care system. Asthma costs are directly related to the level of asthma control. A substantial part of these costs may be preventable by the timely and adequate assessment of asthma deterioration in daily life and proper asthma management. The use of eHealth technology may assist such timely and targeted medical anticipation.
Objective:
This paper describes the Ambulatory Pediatric Asthma Care (ALPACA) study protocol to investigate the effectiveness of an eHealth intervention consisting of remote patient monitoring and teleconsultation integrated into the daily clinical care of pediatric patients with asthma. This intervention aims to reduce health care utilization and costs and improve health outcomes compared to a control group that receives standard care. In addition, this study aims to improve future eHealth pediatric asthma care by gaining insights from home-monitoring data.
Methods:
This study is a prospective randomized controlled effectiveness trial. A total of 40 participants will be randomized to either 3 months of eHealth care (intervention group) or standard care (control group). The eHealth intervention consists of remote patient monitoring (spirometry, pulse oximetry, electronic medication adherence tracking, and asthma control questionnaire) and web-based teleconsultation (video sharing, messages). All participants will have a 3-month follow-up with standard care to evaluate whether the possible effects of eHealth care are longer lasting. During the entire study and follow-up period, all participants will use blinded observational home monitoring (sleep, cough/wheeze sounds, air quality in bedroom) as well.
Results:
This study was approved by the Medical Research Ethics Committees United. Enrollment began in February 2023, and the results of this study are expected to be submitted for publication in July 2024.
Conclusions:
This study will contribute to the existing knowledge on the effectiveness of eHealth interventions that combine remote patient monitoring and teleconsultation for health care utilization, costs, and health outcomes. Furthermore, the observational home-monitoring data can contribute to improved identification of early signs of asthma deterioration in pediatric patients. Researchers and technology developers could use this study to guide and improve eHealth development, while health care professionals, health care institutions, and policy makers may employ our results to make informed decisions to steer toward high-quality, efficient pediatric asthma care.
Trial Registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05517096; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05517096.
International Registered Report Identifier (Irrid):
PRR1-10.2196/45585.
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