Digital technologies to support asthma self-management: early value assessment

Asthma is a long-term condition of the airways in the lungs that can affect people at any age. Symptoms include recurring episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest-tightness and coughing. They may get worse over time and can limit a person’s ability to undertake daily activities. An asthma attack is when you have severe symptoms and it's difficult to breathe, which can be life-threatening. Treatment, including advice about lifestyle changes, aims to control symptoms and reduce the frequency and severity of attacks, allowing the person to lead a normal and active life. Without treatment, the symptoms usually get progressively worse. In the UK, around 5.4 million people are receiving treatment and support for asthma. Asthma care is a national priority for improvement due to several concerns such as health inequalities, variation in care, lack of optimal treatment leading to unnecessary hospital visits, poor outcomes causing mortality, and a considerable impact on the NHS caused by suboptimal asthma control. Despite the availability of effective treatments and the identification of clear triggers for exacerbations, there is a pressing need for support to help patients better understand and self-manage their condition. Digital self-management technologies could help to address challenges in asthma care by providing information and education resources on everyday management of the condition, tools for monitoring symptoms and insights into potential triggers, tools for monitoring and encouraging adherence with medication, and advice about personalised action plans and guidelines. This may help to reduce hospital admissions and improve health outcomes for people with asthma. Lung disease, including COPD, asthma and pneumonia is the third biggest cause of death in England (after cancer and cardiovascular disease). When compared internationally, the UK is one of the worst performing developed countries for asthma deaths in the 5-to-34-year age range, ranking 35th out of 37. Lung conditions place a huge drain on the NHS, notably in the winter months. Between 2019-2022, average winter asthma hospital admissions were 130% higher than summer admissions. New models of providing rehabilitation to those with Asthma, including digital tools, will be offered to provide support to a wider group of patients with rehabilitation and self-management support.  More will be done to support those with respiratory disease to receive and use the right medication.

Status:

In progress

Technology type:

Device

Decision:

Selected

Reason for decision:

Anticipate the topic will be of importance to patients, carers, professionals, commissioners and the health of the public to ensure clinical benefit is realised, inequalities in use addressed, and help them make the best use of NHS resources

ID number:

10063

Provisional Schedule

Scoping workshop:

11 August 2025

Committee meeting: MTAC1:

20 November 2025

Expected publication:

17 April 2026

Project Team

Project lead

[email protected]

Email enquiries

If you have any queries please email [email protected]

External Assessment Group:

Newcastle NIHR TAR Team, Newcastle University

Timeline

Key events during the development of the guidance: