Upsides and downsides of a telecounselling model of integrated asthma management between general practitioners and specialists

Abstract

Background: Asthma control, one of the most important goals in the management of asthmatic patients, requires good adherence to guidelines and support at a territorial level, in particular on the part of general practitioners (GPs). A territorial hospital alliance can become a strength in asthma management, where control by GPs can also be carried out through a spirometric examination. Methods: The realisation of a telecounselling model management of asthma between GPs and specialists was the aim of this study, to understand how to obtain good asthma control. A specific digital platform, the PneumoApp platform, was used for the insertion of clinical data and flow volume (F-V) curves, performed in asthmatic patients by GPs, and for the subsequent evaluation of these data by specialists. Results: GPs have shown to be able to perform a check-up of respiratory function well using a portable spirometer, but the analysis of the collected data showed that GP assessment of the severity level of asthma is incorrect in patients with moderate-severe asthma. Conclusions: The effectiveness of a telecounselling collaboration between hospital and territory in the management of asthma patients can be improved by greater diffusion of the use of Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines at a local level.