Asthma patients' perspectives on telehealth in disease management: A focus group study

Objectives

While the effectiveness of telehealth (TH) to improve health outcomes is well established, the utility of ehealth care among adult asthma patients, particularly in patients with limited access to specialty lung clinic services, requires further investigation. This study aimed to explore asthma patients’ perceived applicability of TH in asthma self-management practices, to inform a future TH-based interventional study.

Methods

A qualitative exploratory study design was applied during virtual, patient-orientedfocus group sessions and individual telephone interviews. Participants responded to questions spanning 4 main topics: 1) understanding of and beliefs on TH; 2) perceptions about the application of electronic asthma action plans; 3) using tele-communication to interact with a care provider; and 4) prospective TH features for asthma management. Data were collected from 25 patients with asthma (19 attended one of two focus groups and 6 were interviewed individually). Codes and definitions were developed inductively and assembled into a coding framework. Transcripts were subsequently coded, and thematic analysis was performed.

Results

Group discussions and individual interviews generated 4 TH-related themes: 1) past experiences and future use of TH; 2) perceived advantages and disadvantages of TH in asthma management; 3) integration of TH into self-management practices; and 4) features of a practical TH model for the current healthcare system.

Conclusion

Participants input in the design of TH interventions for asthma management could improve access to and quality of virtual care services.