Internet-based home monitoring and education of children with asthma is comparable to ideal office-based care: results of a 1-year asthma in-home monitoring trial.

Objective: The goal was to determine whether home asthma telemonitoring with store-and-forward technology improved outcomes, compared with in-person, office-based visits.

Methods: A total of 120 patients, 6 to 17 years of age, with persistent asthma were assigned randomly to the office-based or virtual group. The 2 groups followed the same ambulatory clinical pathway for 12 months.

Concurrent use of metered-dose and dry powder inhalers by children with persistent asthma does not adversely affect spacer/inhaler technique.

Background: Studies conducted in adults have suggested that patients who use a metered-dose inhaler/holding chamber spacer (MDI/S) and dry powder inhaler (DPI) concurrently will have poorer MDI/S technique than that of patients who use MDI/S exclusively. To our knowledge, as of August 31, 2006, no studies have been performed in pediatric patients.

Objective: To compare MDI/S technique scores of children using only MDI/S with scores of those using both MDI/S and DPIs.