Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2019

Journal Title

Creating Healthy Work Environments 2019

Abstract

Purpose: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases, affecting 20.4 million adults aged 18 and over in the United States (CDC, 2018b). Though patients are generally able to manage asthma with maintenance medications, they often experience exacerbations that may worsen without proper management (Gatheral et al., 2017). Alarmingly, 44.9%, or 9.1 million adult patients with asthma, report having one or more asthma attacks every year (CDC, 2018a). Patients with uncontrolled asthma are more likely to have missed days of work and school, as well as impaired quality of life, including: limitations in daily activities, decreased enjoyment of everyday life, increased feelings of frustration related to asthma symptoms, and decreased productivity at home, work and school (Marcano Belisario et al., 2013). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ([HHS], 2007), and Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA, 2018) recommend patient education and clinician follow-up, as well as the use of asthma action plans as strategies to improve patients’ ability to self-manage their asthma. Despite the strong evidence in support of self-management, most patients with asthma have not been provided with education on the importance of self-management, nor have they been provided a personalized asthma action plan (Pinnock & Thomas, 2015). In addition to education and asthma action plans, emerging research supports the use of mobile apps and digital media as an element of improved asthma control (Hui et al., 2017). The purpose of this project was to improve asthma control through the use of education and the implementation of a mobile application.

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