Abstract
Background: Monitoring patients and achieving adherence in chronic
diseases is an important problem. Allergic rhinitis (AR) happens to be
one of the most common chronic and lifelong conditions of today. As
such, it proves to be an excellent model for identifying the
determinants of app use in the monitoring of adherence to treatment and
assessment of health status during treatment. The use of Mask-air® app
supports clinical decision-making by actively involving the patient in
the process of observing symptoms and by promoting adherence to therapy.
The main objective of the study was to identify the defining
characteristics of a Mask-air® user, describe their disease phenotype,
satisfaction with app use, as well as potential reasons for abandoning
it. Material and Methods: The study included adult patients receiving
care in an allergy outpatient clinic. In the course of a routine visit
they were offered to participate in a trial involving the Mask-air® app.
By means of surveys/questionnaires investigators collected data
regarding their symptoms, administered treatment and clinical evaluation
results. At a follow-up visit, these were compared, and patients was
queried about their satisfaction with app use. Additionally, patients
presented and discussed their app records. Those who refused to install
or utilize the app were asked to indicate their reasons in a
questionnaire. Results: The study found no distinguishing
characteristics of Mask-air® app users, compared to those who refused
the app. Readiness to use software was analyzed according to age,
economic status, disease advancement and severity, presence of allergic
comorbidities and therapeutic modality used. Respondents fell into the
following categories in the context of app use: those who did not
install the app (11.6%), those who installed it, but did not use it
(22.2%), and those who installed and evaluated it (66.2%), but did not
produce symptom monitoring records (15.6%). Satisfaction ratings for
app use were high, but patients were critical of the therapeutic aspect
included in the app. Conclusions: No distinguishing features of the Mask
-air ® user were identified, suggesting that the Mask -air ® app can be
recommended to all patients regardless of gender, economic and
educational status, or disease phenotype.