Page 110 - Comprehensive treatment of patients with glucocorticoid-dependent severe asthma

Chapter 6
context (organization of care process), economic and political context [36;37]. For instance, a telemanagement application should not only address the daily routine of patients and professionals, but should also become embedded in the organizational context (i.e. availability of a professional who can check e-consultations, good interoperability between different health care systems). Additionally, the digital infrastructure (i.e. mobile phone connectivity) should be available to reach those in rural areas [38]. Therefore, current and future studies should focus on barriers and facilitators for implementation of telemanagement in asthma and an implementation strategy should specifically address these barriers and facilitators.
Conclusions
Given current demographic challenges and costs of health care, ICT has a promising role in providing proactive and patient centered care. Telemanagement of asthma can be an effective and cost-effective approach tailored to the individual patient needs, particularly for those at higher risk of worsening of asthma. Further research is needed on the long-term effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of telemanagement of patients with asthma under real world conditions and on effective implementation strategies.
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