Coach McLungsSM, Facilitating Shared Decision Making for Asthma – Patients’ and Caregivers’ Perspectives

<h3>Context:</h3> Asthma is a prevalent chronic disease that is difficult to manage and associated with marked disparities in outcomes. Addressing these inequities is a complex endeavor, with shared decision making (SDM) emerging as a promising strategy. SDM involves a collaborative process between patients and providers to make informed healthcare choices. Despite its proven benefits in enhancing patient outcomes, real-world constraints such as time, training, and staff availability hinder its widespread implementation. Health IT solutions offer a potential avenue to overcome these barriers. Coach McLungsSM (CML) is a pre-visit interactive, digital coaching experience that engages patients, caregivers, and providers in a tailored conversation about asthma and fosters SDM in creating a plan of care. <h3>Objective:</h3> With support from the NIH, we are currently deploying Coach McLungsSM across 21 primary care practices within Atrium Health’s Greater Charlotte Region. <h3>Study Design and Analysis:</h3> As part of our evaluation, an optional built-in survey comprising of three questions and a free-text box is offered to elicit feedback on the user experience. <h3>Setting:</h3> 21 primary care practices within Atrium Health, a large integrated healthcare system. <h3>Population Studied:</h3> English speaking patients ages 7-17 years old with a diagnosis of asthma without a severe learning disability, blindness, or hearing loss. <h3>Intervention/Instrument:</h3> Survey. <h3>Outcome Measures:</h3> Satisfaction, Knowledge, and Efficacy. <h3>Results:</h3> As of 3/25/24, 189 families have completed the survey. Overall satisfaction with Coach McLungsSM is highly positive, with 89% of families reporting it as extremely or very helpful. Additionally, 94% indicated a good understanding of asthma control (knowledge), and following their interaction with the tool, 90% felt better prepared to engage in discussions with their doctor (efficacy). Parents expressed appreciation for the app9s interactivity, with comments such as "I really like how interactive the app is. It has helped me get organized for the visit" and "Coach was very helpful with learning and understanding the different asthma triggers, medicines, and level of asthma control for the child." <h3>Conclusions:</h3> Results from the built-in survey data suggest that patients and their caregivers are not only satisfied but also well-informed and prepared to discuss their asthma treatment plans with their healthcare providers.