PURPOSE
EVERY NINJA A SIDE-KICK
Asthma is a heterogeneous chronic condition that affects thousands of children in the Netherlands and worldwide. It varies over time in triggers, symptoms and severity and is treated with both preventive medication and short-term reliever medications. Managing the condition requires a lot of cognitive and behavioral skills.
It implies mastering Ninjas-skills.
But Since every Ninja needs a sidekick, this project was set-up in order to develop a sidekick for asthmatic children between 7 and 12 years old.
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PROBLEM ANALYSIS
SELF-MANAGEMENT MODEL
Based on the findings from literature study and interviews with both experts and children, a model that contains all aspects of self-management for children with asthma is designed. The model combines all behavioral and cognitive aspects of good self-management, with regard to the child, the parents and the doctor. It discusses both lifestyle adaptations and pharmacotherapy and how these are influenced by both practical and perceptual issues.
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The model reveals eight domains in which design intervention could be meaningful: Symptom perception, breathing retraining, medication perception, awareness in the environment,
manage triggers, diagnose and tailor therapy, inhaler technique, daily adherence to treatment.
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One seems to play a steering role: Symptom perception. It affects medication perception, correct understanding of triggers and therefore it has an impact on perceptual barriers to good adherence. Furthermore, doctors make treatment related decision, based on the double information they receive from parents and children.
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Based on these findings the decision is made to focus on beter assessment of symptoms. ​
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AVAILABLE TOOLS ARE SHOOTING OFF THE MARK, SINCE THESE...
... are not suitable for continuous monitoring.
... require difficult
complex respiratory
manoeuvres
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... are not engaging
and are therefore
underused by
children
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...communicate complex data, which is not understood by children
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PREVENT
LEARN
TREAT
UNDERSTAND
Improved self-monitoring can help children and parents to identify nocturnal symptoms in time and to prevent the asthma from worsening.
Improved monitoring allows
doctors to evaluate
treatment response and enables
them to base treatment
related decisions on
more objective data.
Improved monitoring of symptoms and triggers can enhance the young patient's
understanding of the temporal relationship between exposure to physical or environmental triggers and worsening control.
Improved monitoring
allows the qualification
of improvement and
can therefore enhance
children's understanding
of the necessity of
preventive medications.
WHY IMPROVE SELF- MONITORING?
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CONCEPT OF
AN OVERNIGHT MONITORING SOLUTION
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Monitoring symptoms during slee can overcome these drawbacks and more ....
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NA symptoms are an important risk indicator
NA symptoms are highly prevalent
Monitoring during sleep is completely
effortless
Monitoring at night
provides a more complete picture