Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Mar 15, 2021
Date Accepted: Jul 5, 2021
A smartphone application to support adherence to inhaled corticosteroids in young adults with asthma: A multi-methods feasibility study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Young adults with asthma often report low adherence to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) leading to uncontrolled symptoms and poor disease outcomes. Technology-enabled digital supports such as mHealth asthma smartphone applications (apps) have potential to support adherence to ICS and asthma self-management. There is a need for feasibility studies to determine the usability, acceptability, and feasibility of these interventions. In addition, it is essential to determine the feasibility of recruiting and retaining young adults to plan future efficacy and effectiveness trials and therefore, establish evidence-based asthma apps.
Objective:
This study aimed to determine the usability, acceptability, and feasibility of the AsthmaMD app to support adherence to ICS in a population of young adults living with asthma and the feasibility of recruiting and retaining this population.
Methods:
A mixed methods feasibility study was conducted. Young adults aged 18-30 years, with asthma and current prescription for ICS were eligible to take part. Participation involved completing a baseline self-report questionnaire, downloading, and using the AsthmaMD app for 2 weeks and completing the follow-up assessment including self-report and open-ended questions about participants’ experience of using the app. Primary outcomes included participant recruitment and retention, and the usability, acceptability, and feasibility of using AsthmaMD. Quantitative, self-report data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative, open-ended data were analysed using inductive, reflexive thematic analysis.
Results:
A total of 122 young adults (101, 82.8% female) with a mean age of 24.35 years (SD=3.8) were recruited and completed baseline measures. Of these, 59/122 (48.36%) completed the study. AsthmaMD received a mean System Usability Score of 63.11 (SD=20.10) and overall user satisfaction score of 5.82/10 (SD=2.22). A total of 49 (83.1%) participants used the app >1day per week. Three main themes were identified in qualitative analysis of user experiences: (1) Learning experience with the app, (2) App usefulness, and (3) Valuable additions.
Conclusions:
The findings from this study indicate that young adults living with asthma may find AsthmaMD to be usable, acceptable, and feasible to support adherence to ICS, and it appears feasible to recruit and retain young adults to examine efficacy and effectiveness in a future trial. Clinical Trial: International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) registry; Trial ID: ISRCTN11295269; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN11295269
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