Many patients with asthma have a hard time managing and tracking their symptoms, or difficulty remembering when and how to take their asthma medicine. Alongside routine follow-up appointments with an asthma specialist, new technology with the use of smart phone apps can be a useful tool to help patients manage their asthma condition. There are so many apps available, and it can be challenging deciding which one may be best to use. Thankfully, asthma researchers have evaluated several apps for you to help you decide which ones to use!
The goal of a smart phone app to help with asthma is to help track symptoms and to help patients remember to take their medication (also known as medication adherence). Two apps that were shown to have the best impact in helping patients manage their asthma are Kiss myAsthma and AsthmaMD.
Kiss myAsthma was designed for children and teens. Users can upload their asthma action plan, log and track symptoms and their medication use, view asthma management tips, and set daily reminders. Users can also identify goals that can go a long way in helping their asthma control. There is a special calendar function that can allow you to view your symptoms, severity, asthma attacks, and mood over an extended period of time. This can help users pinpoint certain times of the year that may be more challenging for them and require increased diligence with their asthma therapy.
AsthmaMD allows users to log daily asthma symptoms and peak flow meter measurements. It also allows users to log their daily medication use. Asthma logs and peak flow information can be easily shared with asthma specialists.
Other apps include educational materials to help patients of all ages learn about their asthma. Wizdy Pets is a smart phone app that is geared for children and helps them learn about their asthma via games and taking care of a virtual pet with asthma. Asthma healthcare IT is another app that has information about asthma attacks, signs, symptoms, causes of asthma attacks, and treatments. Asthma Management is another app that gives users information on various risk factors for asthma, triggers, symptoms, preventions, tests, types of asthma, and treatments. There are many apps where patients can log their asthma symptoms or upload their asthma action plan, including Asthma Test and Asthma Action Hero.
As your allergy/asthma providers, we want you to have the best relief of your symptoms and be on the best medication to help manage your asthma symptoms. Part of an effective treatment regimen is taking your prescribed medication as directed and using your inhalers correctly. If you have a smart phone and are interested in learning more about your asthma symptoms and triggers, or need to be better about taking your medication consistently, using a smart phone app for asthma might help you!
