Asthma and Allergy Mobile Apps in 2018

Abstract

Purpose of Review This paper offers a comprehensive review of interactive mobile allergy and asthma smartphone applications available within the USA in 2018, with an emphasis on interactive asthma apps. Recent Findings Primary care and specialty clinicians interested in introducing digital health apps into their practices will soon have more choices, for Apple® and major electronic medical record software companies are investing heavily in the mobile medical marketplace, guaranteeing personal health information and access to care will always be immediately available in one’s digital hand . Summary Interactive mobile asthma applications are valuable assets for patients and caregivers alike, for they offer immediate communications between patients and those responsible for providing for their needs. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s11882-019-0840-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The role of mobile health technologies in allergy care: An EAACI position paper

“…Many asthma apps have been developed and are available for use, mainly by adults, but some also for school‐age children and adolescents . Registering the use of a reliever inhaler has been used to monitor pediatric asthma control and to provide feedback through an electronic treatment plan …”

Telemedicine and emerging technologies for health care in allergy/immunology

“…Comprehensive reviews of RPM devices that track symptoms of allergic rhinitis and asthma were recently published by Bousquet et al 52 and by Kagen and Garland. 53 The advantage of this approach over patient self-report is that the devices can directly report objective information to the monitor, which overcomes distortions introduced by patient bias. The principle limitations of RPM for allergy are that very few studies of their effectiveness have been performed, there are no consistent measures of device or app quality, and consumer devices and apps are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).…”

Mobile Technology in Allergic Rhinitis: Evolution in Management or Revolution in Health and Care?

“…Jean Bousquet, MD (1-3), Ignacio J Ansotegui, MD (4), Josep M Anto, PhD (5)(6)(7)(8), Sylvie Arnavielhe, PhD (9), Claus Bachert, MD (10), Xavier Basagaña, PhD (5,7,8), Annabelle Bédard, PhD (5,7,8), Anna Bedbrook, BSc (2), Matteo Bonini, MD (11), Sinthia Bosnic-Anticevich, PhD (12), Fulvio Braido, MD (13), Vicky Cardona, MD (14), Wienczyslawa Czarlewski, MD (15), Alvaro A Cruz, MD (16), Pascal Demoly, MD (17)(18), Govert De Vries, MSc (19), Stephanie Dramburg, MD (47), Eve Mathieu-Dupas, PhD (9), Marina Erhola, PhD (20), Wytske J Fokkens, MD (21), Joao A Fonseca, MD (22), Tari Haahtela, MD (23), Peter W Hellings, MD (24), Maddalena Illario, MD (25), Juan Carlos Ivancevich, MD (26), Vesa Jormanainen, MD (20), Ludger Klimek, MD (27), Piotr Kuna, MD (28), Violeta Kvedariene, MD (29), Daniel Laune, PhD (9), Désirée Larenas-Linnemann, MD (30), Olga Lourenço, PhD (31), Gabrielle L Onorato, MSc (2), Paolo M Matricardi, MD (32), Erik Melén, MD (33), Joaquim Mullol, MD (34), Nikos G Papa...…”

“…The US regulations were recently reviewed in detail (20). The FDA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) both guide the development and regulation of mHealth devices.…”

“…In asthma, many mHealth apps are connected with sensors for inhalers (20). Such devices do not yet exist in AR but there are attempts to connect pollution sensors to mHealth apps.…”