Parents, Patients Prefer Telehealth, In-Person Combo for Asthma Care

Utilizing a combination of telehealth and in-person visits may be the most suitable strategy for treating pediatric and young adult asthma patients, according to a UC Davis Health study published in the Journal of Asthma.

According to the CDC, asthma affects around 8 percent of children and young adults across the country.

“Because asthma is one of the most common, chronic conditions of childhood, optimizing the delivery of care to families is of unique importance,” Rory Kamerman-Kretzmer, a pediatric pulmonologist at UC Davis and an author of the study, said in the press release. “We wanted to explore if telemedicine is a convenient solution for parents and patients with asthma care needs.”

Researchers gathered data from the EHR for patients between the ages of 2 and 24 who received asthma care at UC Davis Health between March 19, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2020. There were 502 patients in total, of which 207 had at least one telehealth visit.

The majority of the patients lived in urban areas and had English as their primary language. Patients who had a different primary language were less likely to use telehealth for asthma care during the pandemic, compared to patients who primarily spoke English. This suggests the need for additional strategies that address health equity in the virtual care world.

The researchers gathered feedback by selecting 12 parents of pediatric patients and five young adult patients to participate in virtual focus groups. The participants discussed their opinions on telehealth and how it compared to in-person care.

The parents and patients noted the benefits and challenges of telehealth, deducing that a combination of the two modalities may be the best fit for asthma care.

The focus group participants agreed that in-person care was more effective in certain situations, including when establishing trust and rapport with a new provider and communicating with younger patients about their asthma and taking their medication. Parents thought that their children were more actively engaged in the visit when it was conducted in person.

Parents and patients alike reported that scheduling follow-up visits via telehealth was harder than for in-person appointments.

Parents were divided on using remote patient monitoring for asthma care. Some parents were open to using the provided tools to measure pulmonary function at home, but others did not feel confident in their ability to use the monitoring equipment, which included peak flow meters and home spirometers.

Despite these challenges, the study participants noted some benefits of telehealth visits. Parents said that they preferred to have visits with only one physician as opposed to the entire care team, which was more likely to happen during a virtual visit.

Additionally, telehealth allowed parents and patients to access specialist care without having to travel. Parents said that telehealth visits helped them protect their children during the COVID-19 pandemic as well.

“The study shows that alternating telemedicine and in-person visits for routine asthma care is the preferred mode of care for many parents,” Sarah Haynes, lead author of the study and assistant professor of pediatrics at UC Davis Health, stated in the press release. “This option balances the increased convenience of telemedicine visits, while still ensuring that kids get the physical exams and measurements they need.”