A new study, from the Nuffield Trust think tank and the Association for Young People’s Health, found young people in the UK are more likely to die from asthma than those in other wealthy countries.
Nigel Edwards, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust, said the study suggested health services in the UK were “getting something badly wrong”.
“Young people in the UK are entering adulthood with more long-term health conditions and, as a result a poorer quality of life, storing up problems further down the line. If we don’t take action now, the next generation will be entering adulthood sicker than the one before it.”
Asthma UK said it was “appalling” that people were more likely to die from asthma in the UK than in other European countries.
Dr Samantha Walker, director of research and policy at Asthma UK, said: “We are now urging the NHS to move with the times and put technology at the heart of asthma management, helping to engage this tech-savvy generation.” Asthma UK is calling for the NHS in England to play its part and embed technology to help people manage their own asthma – for example, ensuring all GP surgeries send text message reminders for appointments and rolling out smart inhalers – which can track how a patient is using their inhaler so GPs can personalise their care and identify those most at risk.
Activ8rlives says: We are working hard and at pace towards making the Activ8rlives’ paediatric Asthma⁺me solution, available for children and young people with moderate to severe asthma and the solution provides education, tools to measure and monitor, understanding of triggers, medication adherence with the PUFFClicker smart pMD inhaler tracker, behaviour change, reviews, care plans and support. The Asthma⁺me solution is based around the six pillars of successful self-care, evidence-based from a meta-review of 270 studies of supporting self-management of asthma in adults (Hilary Pinnock et al, March, 2017). The Asthma⁺me App and PUFFClicker are currently available for purchase from Activ8rlives’ website.
Aseptika has recently been awarded a further grant to undertake a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of its Asthma⁺me management solution for children who have moderate-to-severe asthma.