Recruitment
cough, respiratory diseases, asthma
RESPIRATORY DISEASE, HYPERTENSION, CYSTIC FIBROSIS, CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE LUNG DISEASE, ASTHMA, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE OTHER
Children aged 6 to 12 years and adults aged 18 to 60 years were eligible if they had a clinical diagnosis of asthma with at least 1 severe exacerbation requiring at least 3 days of systemic glucocorticoid therapy in the previous 12 months. Not having an action plan in the past year was an inclusion criterion. The ability to establish an internet connection through one’s own or a parent’s smartphone or tablet was also an inclusion criterion. Informed written consent for study participation involving several telephone or email interactions during the 1-year follow-up was obtained from each participant or parent. In accordance with the French law, we included only patients registered with the French statutory health insurance system.Noninclusion criteria were atypical asthma (isolated cough or respiratory discomfort upon exercising), other respiratory diseases (eg, cystic fibrosis or chronic obstructive lung disease), severe cardiovascular disease other than hypertension, smoking history greater than 15 pack-years, and need for daily oral corticosteroid therapy or home nebulization therapy for asthma control. In addition, neither children with a sibling included in the study nor women who were pregnant or breastfeeding were eligible for the trial.The only exclusion criterion was the absence of follow-up data after randomization.Patients were recruited at hospitals or by office-based pediatricians and pulmonologists between October 2016 and April 2019.