Asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions in children and adults, with a prevalence of over 8% in U.S. children and 7% in adults. This translates to over 7 million children in the U.S. In 2007, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute released “Expert Panel Report-3” for the management of asthma. These guidelines are still in effect with minor updates over the years. More recent guidelines are available from the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA). Both guidelines have similar recommendations including the use of asthma action plans for example, though the GINA guidelines are more up to date with the current best evidence.

Both guidelines recommend the use of asthma action plans and include sample versions. Similarly, both recommend providers ensure proper inhaler use. Up to 30% of emergency room visits are due to improper inhaler use.

The Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center has now released an app to educate parents and children on these critical asthma topics. The new app, called CHANGE-Asthma, includes links to YouTube videos describing the proper inhaler use, as well as educational games utilizing virtual reality.

Likes

• High-quality patient education materials from reputable sources
• Videos well-made with helpful material
• Virtual reality game on phone works well
• Available for Android

Dislikes

• Interface for asthma action plan is buggy
• Font is far too small for the screen
• Videos not downloaded to device and must link out to YouTube

This post originally appeared on iMedicalApps.com.

Last Updated April 03, 2020