New digital tools to help people with asthma manage their conditions through their phones or laptops have been approved for use in the NHS, reports HSJ.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has approved use of eight digital platforms to give asthma patients the option to use apps or online tools for personalised support.
The digital tools will be available on the NHS for the next three years while the companies behind them develop more evidence of their clinical effectiveness and diagnostic accuracy.
They will also need to develop more evidence on patient experiences with the devices and how they impact on resource use, including clinical staff time. The approved products are listed below.
It comes amid high unmet need for both effective self-management support for asthma patients, and the large number of patients with both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who have not had a diagnosis or intervention.
NICE has published draft guidance for eight digital tools. It says: “Uncontrolled asthma is common and can lead to emergency department visits, hospital admissions and avoidable deaths”.
Date: 12 January