EFA’s latest report HEY YA! identifies mHealth solutions as key tools for supporting young people with asthma in adhering to their treatment. This view is also shared by the members of the Advisory Patient Forum (APF) of the myAirCoach project, which aims at developing an asthma monitoring system using personalized mHealth.
Daniel Russel, chair of the APF and father of a child with asthma, is convinced that tools like myAirCoach will be very useful in helping his daughter taking her responsibility towards her asthma treatment plan and keeping a good attitude towards her disease during the difficult transition to adulthood. In practice, myAirCoach could send her audio-visual reminders or notification alerts, it would monitor her symptoms and provide personalised advises to her mobile phone, which is constantly at adolescents’ fingertips.
Daniel also thinks that the role of healthcare professionals as well as the families of children with asthma and their network are key to support the importance of taking medication correctly. myAirCoach will integrate educational material and will allow the exchange of knowledge between patients and HCPs through a virtual platform, thus empowering asthma patients for a better approach to the disease.
This system represents a big step forward in mHealth technology for asthma patients and we hope it will ease adolescents’ adherence to treatment. EFA reminds however that based on our report, young people with asthmaTHEMSELVES must be involved in developing the mHealth tools that are targeted to them.
You can read Daniel’s blog in our website.
To know more about EFA's role in myAirCoach, please visit our dedicated section.