We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Digital Inhaler Monitoring Cuts Asthma Hospitalizations

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 11 Feb 2019
Print article
Image: A new study claims EMM devices help reduce Asthma hospitalization rates (Photo courtesy of Propeller Health).
Image: A new study claims EMM devices help reduce Asthma hospitalization rates (Photo courtesy of Propeller Health).
Using electronic medication monitors (EMMs) in patients with asthma could lead to dramatically lower hospital utilization, according to a new study.

Researchers at Dignity Health (San Francisco, CA, USA) conducted a study involving 224 patients with asthma who received medical care at their hospital facility. To qualify, patients needed to have an asthma diagnosis, a prescription for a short-acting beta agonist, and no other pulmonary disease or significant comorbidities. The patients received a Propeller Health (Madison, WI, USA) EMM, which was used to track the frequency of use and number of puffs of asthma medication.

The results revealed that over the year of monitoring, asthma-related emergency department visits dropped from 11.6 to 5.4 visits per 100 patient years. Combined, hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits dropped from 13.4 to 5.8 visits per 100 patient years. At the same time, outpatient visits increased by 2.6 visits per patient year, indicating that patients handled emerging issues before they became severe enough to warrant hospitalization. The study was published on December 3, 2018, in World Allergy Organization Journal.

“This digital health intervention was successfully incorporated into routine clinical practice and was associated with lower rates of asthma-related hospitalizations and ED visits,” said lead author Rajan Merchant, MD, and colleagues. “We are excited about the results, which further affirm the power digital tools provide in empowering patients to better manage their condition. It is feasible to incorporate the monitoring system into routine asthma care, and that doing so promotes better patient self-management and better decision-making by patients and their doctors.”

“While real-time monitoring of medication use likely caused patients to be more vigilant and compliant to their medications, the improved patient-provider communications coupled with real-time, objective medication use data likely played a larger role,” said study co-author Rahul Gondalia, MPH, of Propeller Health. “In other studies, we observed that use of the digital health intervention without (healthcare provider) involvement was associated with improved clinical outcomes, but the improvements are larger when there is healthcare provider involvement.”

The Propeller Health EMM sensor attaches directly to the metered dose inhaler and objectively captures the date, time, and frequency of medication use. The sensor transmits the data wirelessly via Bluetooth to a paired smartphone, where a mobile app displays the information. For those without a smartphone, a wireless hub transmits the data, which are accessible through a web-based dashboard.

Related Links:
Dignity Health
Propeller Health

Gold Member
STI Test
Vivalytic Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Array
Gold Member
Solid State Kv/Dose Multi-Sensor
AGMS-DM+
Silver Member
Wireless Mobile ECG Recorder
NR-1207-3/NR-1207-E
New
PACS Workstation
CHILI Web Viewer

Print article

Channels

Surgical Techniques

view channel
Image: The Early Bird Bleed Monitoring System provides visual and audible indicators of the onset and progression of bleeding events (Photo courtesy of Saranas)

Novel Technology Monitors and Lowers Bleeding Complications in Patients Undergoing Heart Procedures

Bleeding complications at the femoral access site can significantly hamper recovery, affecting the success of procedures, patient satisfaction, and overall healthcare costs. It is crucial for surgeons... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The newly-launched solution can transform operating room scheduling and boost utilization rates (Photo courtesy of Fujitsu)

Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization

An innovative solution has the capability to transform surgical capacity utilization by targeting the root cause of surgical block time inefficiencies. Fujitsu Limited’s (Tokyo, Japan) Surgical Capacity... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The new eye-safe laser technology can diagnose traumatic brain injury (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Novel Diagnostic Hand-Held Device Detects Known Biomarkers for Traumatic Brain Injury

The growing need for prompt and efficient diagnosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI), a major cause of mortality globally, has spurred the development of innovative diagnostic technologies.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.