Web-based cloud-computing Asthma Control Test differentiates uncontrolled asthma

Mobile health technologies have been shown to improve asthma control. However, the effect on web-based Asthma Control Test (ACT) with cloud computing on asthma control status remains unknown. We aimed to examine how predictions of ACT scores based on self-perceived symptoms and cloud computing influence asthma control levels defined by Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA).

We created an interactive web-based application providing automated calculations of frequencies of asthma symptoms and reliever medication used in the past month, traditional ACT, and cloud-computing ACT (ccACT). Adult asthma patients aged between 20- and 65-year-old were included in the study. Participants were encouraged to input perceived asthma symptoms and reliever medication use and to perform monthly assessment of web-based traditional ACT. The ccACT scores were calculated by the application when monthly assessments have been completed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to compare the performance of traditional ACT and ccACT. Asthma control levels defined by GINA were used as outcome variables.

Eighty-five qualified records obtained from 28 participants were included for analysis. To differentiate well- and partly-controlled asthma from uncontrolled asthma, the better cutoff was ≥21 for both traditional ACT and ccACT scores. The area under the ROC curve for ccACT was greater than traditional ACT (0.99 vs. 0.91). The performance of both tests was statistically different (P = 0.01).

ccACT may differentiate well- and partly-controlled asthma from uncontrolled asthma better than traditional ACT. This potentially leads to the development of a more effective method in asthma control.