ReferID⁺ and AsthmaOptimiser: Digital tools to support structured asthma consultations in primary care

Introduction: Globally, many patients with severe or uncontrolled asthma receive inadequate treatment, which contributes to significant disease burden, healthcare resource utilisation, and decreased health-related quality of life. There is a need to develop a tool that can support identification of patients with severe or uncontrolled asthma, optimise their management in primary care, and facilitate appropriate referrals to severe asthma specialists. Methods: We describe the development of two novel digital tools to improve asthma management in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands: ReferID⁺ and AsthmaOptimiser. These tools have been designed to assist healthcare professionals to conduct structured asthma reviews, focusing on the most common causes of poor asthma control, and to help identify patients who may benefit from a referral to a specialist. Results: Both the ReferID+ and AsthmaOptimiser tools consist of a panel of asthma assessment questions completed by the healthcare professional through a digital interface during an in-person or virtual clinical visit. ReferID⁺ was developed for use in the UK National Health Service environment and is currently undergoing effectiveness testing in the randomised controlled OASIS study. The ReferID⁺ was adapted into the AsthmaOptimiser to address specific needs in the Netherlands; evaluation and implementation are currently underway in the CAPTURE study. Conclusions: ReferID⁺ and AsthmaOptimiser support comprehensive asthma consultations by providing personalised recommendations with guideline-based strategies to optimise asthma management.