Paediatric and adolescent asthma: A narrative review of telemedicine and emerging technologies for the post-COVID-19 era

Abstract

Children and young people with asthma need regular monitoring to maintain good asthma control, prevent asthma attacks and manage comorbidities. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in healthcare professionals making fundamental changes to the way healthcare is delivered and for patients and families adapting to these changes. Comprehensive remotely delivered, technology-based healthcare, closer to the patients home (reducing hospital footfall and possibly reducing carbon footprint) is likely to be one of the important collateral effects of the pandemic. Telemedicine is anticipated to impact everyone involved in healthcare - providers and patients alike. It is going to bring changes to organization, work areas and work culture in healthcare. Healthcare providers, policymakers and those accessing healthcare services will experience the impact of technology-based healthcare delivery. Telemedicine can play an exciting role in the management of childhood asthma by delivering high-quality care closer to the child's home. However, unlike adults, children still need to be accompanied by their carers for virtual care. Policymakers will need to take into account potential additional costs as well as the legal, ethical and cultural implications of large scale use of telemedicine. In this narrative review, we review evidence regarding the role of telemedicine and related emerging technologies in paediatric and adolescent asthma. Although there are gaps in the current knowledge, there is evidence demonstrating the important role of telemedicine in management of childhood and adolescent asthma. However, there is an urgent need for healthcare researchers and policymakers to focus on improving the technologies and address the disparities in accessing novel technology-based management strategies to improve asthma care.