The impact of a digital wheeze detector on parental disease management of pre-school children suffering from wheezing—a pilot study
Abstract Background Viral airway infections are a major reason for doctor’s visits at pre-school age, especially when associated with wheezing. While proper treatment requires adequate recognition of airway obstruction, caretakers are often struggling with this judgment, consequently leading to insu...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Pilot and Feasibility Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-021-00917-w |
| _version_ | 1829518019736371200 |
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| author | Stephanie Dramburg Ellen Dellbrügger Wim van Aalderen Paolo Maria Matricardi |
| author_facet | Stephanie Dramburg Ellen Dellbrügger Wim van Aalderen Paolo Maria Matricardi |
| author_sort | Stephanie Dramburg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Viral airway infections are a major reason for doctor’s visits at pre-school age, especially when associated with wheezing. While proper treatment requires adequate recognition of airway obstruction, caretakers are often struggling with this judgment, consequently leading to insufficient or late treatment and an unnecessary discomfort of the patient. Digital technologies may serve to support parental decision taking. The aim of the present pilot study is to acquire data on the feasibility of recruitment and observation procedures for a randomized controlled trial on the impact of a digital wheeze detector in a home management setting of pre-school wheezing. Methods This single-armed pilot study enrolled patients with a doctor’s diagnosis of wheezing aged 9 to 72 months. Participants were asked to use a digital wheeze detector (WheezeScan, Omron Healthcare, Japan) 2×/day for 30 days and record the child’s respiratory symptoms, detection of wheezing, and medication intake via an electronic diary (eDiary) app. Demographic and clinical data were collected at the recruitment visit. The asthma control test and the Parent Asthma Management Self-Efficacy Scale (PAMSES) were assessed both, at recruitment and follow-up. Results Twenty families were recruited and completed the monitoring. All but one completed the follow-up after 30 days. The recruitment procedures were feasible, and adherence to daily monitoring reached an average of 81%. The use of the wheeze detector was rated as uncomplicated. Parents detected wheezing without digital support in only 22/708 (3.1%) of the recorded events. By contrast, the wheeze detector indicated an airway obstruction in 140/708 (19.8%) of the recordings. Conclusion In parallel to feasible recruitment procedures, we observed good usability of the wheeze detection device and high adherence to eDiary recording. The positive outcomes show that the WheezeScan may empower parents by increasing their capacity for wheeze detection. This deserves to be investigated in a larger randomized controlled trial. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T14:12:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3333ede19bb64a28b3f604c8932e9fa7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2055-5784 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T14:12:16Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pilot and Feasibility Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-3333ede19bb64a28b3f604c8932e9fa72022-12-21T22:28:43ZengBMCPilot and Feasibility Studies2055-57842021-10-017111010.1186/s40814-021-00917-wThe impact of a digital wheeze detector on parental disease management of pre-school children suffering from wheezing—a pilot studyStephanie Dramburg0Ellen Dellbrügger1Wim van Aalderen2Paolo Maria Matricardi3Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Immunology and Critical Care Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin BerlinPediatric PulmonologistDepartment of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine and Allergy, Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of AmsterdamDepartment of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Immunology and Critical Care Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin BerlinAbstract Background Viral airway infections are a major reason for doctor’s visits at pre-school age, especially when associated with wheezing. While proper treatment requires adequate recognition of airway obstruction, caretakers are often struggling with this judgment, consequently leading to insufficient or late treatment and an unnecessary discomfort of the patient. Digital technologies may serve to support parental decision taking. The aim of the present pilot study is to acquire data on the feasibility of recruitment and observation procedures for a randomized controlled trial on the impact of a digital wheeze detector in a home management setting of pre-school wheezing. Methods This single-armed pilot study enrolled patients with a doctor’s diagnosis of wheezing aged 9 to 72 months. Participants were asked to use a digital wheeze detector (WheezeScan, Omron Healthcare, Japan) 2×/day for 30 days and record the child’s respiratory symptoms, detection of wheezing, and medication intake via an electronic diary (eDiary) app. Demographic and clinical data were collected at the recruitment visit. The asthma control test and the Parent Asthma Management Self-Efficacy Scale (PAMSES) were assessed both, at recruitment and follow-up. Results Twenty families were recruited and completed the monitoring. All but one completed the follow-up after 30 days. The recruitment procedures were feasible, and adherence to daily monitoring reached an average of 81%. The use of the wheeze detector was rated as uncomplicated. Parents detected wheezing without digital support in only 22/708 (3.1%) of the recorded events. By contrast, the wheeze detector indicated an airway obstruction in 140/708 (19.8%) of the recordings. Conclusion In parallel to feasible recruitment procedures, we observed good usability of the wheeze detection device and high adherence to eDiary recording. The positive outcomes show that the WheezeScan may empower parents by increasing their capacity for wheeze detection. This deserves to be investigated in a larger randomized controlled trial.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-021-00917-wPre-school wheezingDigital healthChildhoodAsthma self-managementWheeze detector |
| spellingShingle | Stephanie Dramburg Ellen Dellbrügger Wim van Aalderen Paolo Maria Matricardi The impact of a digital wheeze detector on parental disease management of pre-school children suffering from wheezing—a pilot study Pilot and Feasibility Studies Pre-school wheezing Digital health Childhood Asthma self-management Wheeze detector |
| title | The impact of a digital wheeze detector on parental disease management of pre-school children suffering from wheezing—a pilot study |
| title_full | The impact of a digital wheeze detector on parental disease management of pre-school children suffering from wheezing—a pilot study |
| title_fullStr | The impact of a digital wheeze detector on parental disease management of pre-school children suffering from wheezing—a pilot study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of a digital wheeze detector on parental disease management of pre-school children suffering from wheezing—a pilot study |
| title_short | The impact of a digital wheeze detector on parental disease management of pre-school children suffering from wheezing—a pilot study |
| title_sort | impact of a digital wheeze detector on parental disease management of pre school children suffering from wheezing a pilot study |
| topic | Pre-school wheezing Digital health Childhood Asthma self-management Wheeze detector |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-021-00917-w |
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