Case Study: Activating and empowering asthma control through simple self-assessment
Background
The Challenge
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Asthma remains a significant health challenge, impacting daily life, productivity, and overall wellbeing for those living with the condition.
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Achieving optimal asthma control is essential, yet many individuals are unaware of their current level of control or how to assess it effectively.
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In fact, patients often struggle to recognize the signs of poor asthma control in the first place.
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Without regular, structured assessment, symptoms such as shortness of breath, night-time awakenings, and frequent use of reliever medication can go unnoticed and unreported.
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This can lead to suboptimal control and management of asthma and increased risk of exacerbations, often leading to hospitalizations.
Our Behavior Change Approach
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Using patient activation strategies incorporated with behavior change techniques, this Activation solution tailored for asthma was rolled out across 56 general practice clinics.
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First, patients at risk of uncontrolled asthma were identified through an audit on the patient management system.
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Identified patients were then sent a letter and SMS, which instructed them to self-assess their level of asthma control using the Asthma Control Test (Nathan et al., 2004).
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Within the letter and SMS were prompts to patients, who scored less than 19 on the Asthma Control Test, to review the outcome with their doctor and discuss asthma management strategies.
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A post-solution audit was then conducted and compared against regular appointments to determine the degree of unique patient activation as a result from the solution.
The Solution
Each identified patient was sent a letter and SMS, prompting them to complete the Asthma Control Test. This test evaluated the previous month's:
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Impact on daily activities
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Shortness of breath
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Night-time symptoms
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Use of reliever medication
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Overall asthma control
The test provided patients with a snapshot of their current asthma control, which they then could share with their doctor to guide further management and treatment discussions.
The Impact
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Over 5,000 patients were identified as potentially having uncontrolled asthma.
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Of the 5,000, 44% made an appointment with their doctor about asthma management within 6-8 weeks of receiving the Activate messages.
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Of the 44%, 60% could be data-matched to appointment data in the 12 months prior to the solution—this was to identify patients who were uniquely activated by the solution (compared to routine appointment frequency).
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Of the 60%, 30% of patients were uniquely activated beyond routine doctor appointments. This was the equivalent to 13% of the total 5,000 identified patients.
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Therefore, the Activation solution mobilized between 13% and 44% of the total 5,000 patients at risk of uncontrolled asthma to speak with their doctor about asthma control and management.
