Geisinger and AstraZeneca create new asthma app suite
Geisinger and AstraZeneca have partnered to improve asthma care by creating a suite of products that integrate into the electronic health record (EHR). The goal is to engage patients and providers in co-managing the disease, especially during intervals between office visits.
The mobile app data is connected to a real-time, web-based application called Provider Asthma Management Assistant. The assistant combines EHR and patient-reported data feeds to enable asthma educators and respiratory therapists to triage patients on the fly and bring in specialists as needed.
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease where the airways in the lungs become swollen or inflamed making it difficult to breath. Asthma symptoms can vary over time and worsening of asthma (an asthma attack) can be triggered by environmental exposure or allergies. There is no cure for asthma, but it can be managed.
The new asthma app suite includes a mobile app that allows patients to view asthma-related weather forecasts, log symptoms and asthma triggers, establish medication reminders, track health status over time, and, crucially, communicate with their healthcare team.
Some asthma patients can have multiple attacks per week, and it isn’t feasible or necessary to see a doctor every time. With the new app products, attacks and symptoms can be tracked and easily monitored in real-time by the full spectrum of the healthcare team.
Geisinger and AstraZeneca’s partnership in developing the asthma app suite uses scientific expertise from both companies in disease management, patient engagement, adherence, healthcare innovation, research, and technology to fundamentally redesign how asthma patients are diagnosed and treated.
