Mobile technology aids asthma care
01 April 2003

Mobile phones are being used by people with asthma to monitor their symptoms and alert their GP if their condition deteriorates.

A group of 100 patients in the Thames Valley area are testing the innovative system, using equipment developed by telemedicine firm e-San. They will each be given O2's XDA, a hi-tech combined phone and personal digital assistant, for the duration of the trial.

The system links each patient's peak flow meter – an electronic device that is used to measure lung capacity – to the mobile phone, which captures accurate data and instantly submits it to their doctor. Software in the phone prompts the user to blow into their peak flow meter twice a day. If they forget, an icon gradually fills the screen. If the software detects any early signs of an asthma attack the details are sent to the GP, who can contact the person if action is needed.

Currently many people with asthma are expected to use a peak flow meter on a daily basis, but they have to remember to take the readings, and they have to wait until their next appointment to report these back to their doctor or nurse.

Professor Lionel Tarassenko, co-founder of e-San and Professor of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford, said: 'Research has shown that effective self- or assisted management of asthma reduces the severity of symptoms and the risk of hospitalisation. The ability to generate automatic messages to patients will also save time and resources for hard-pressed GPs.'

Fiona Costello, who oversees the National Asthma Campaign's Asthma UK Adviceline, was optimistic about the initiative. 'We're really excited by technological developments that can help health professionals to empower people with asthma to take control of their condition. Once they are widely available at a reasonable cost to the NHS, devices like this may have huge potential for improving the lives of people with asthma.'

Although the technology is still at an early stage, e-San's chief executive Clive Peggram hopes that within two or three years people will routinely use their mobile phone for the management of long-term conditions.

Elsewhere in the UK, text messaging is being used by doctors to communicate with patients. Dr Badal Pal, a consultant rheumatologist at South Manchester University Hospital, recently described in the British Medical Journal how he was using text messaging in routine clinical care.

'After clinics and investigations the usual scenario is that patients wait – and worry – for several weeks before they get their results and information about any follow-up action or advice,' he said. 'I have now slashed this waiting time to only a few days by allowing patients to text message me three to four days after their investigations. I then text the patients back with their results and any subsequent course of action.

'Text messaging alerts can also be useful to remind people with asthma to use their inhalers. We believe that text message or email reminders of this kind will help to reduce many of the problems associated with clinic attendance and the management of long-term conditions.'