LITTLE ROCK–Investigators at the Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI) are embarking on a long-term project to explore whether school-based telemedicine sessions with doctors may help children in rural areas control their asthma, thanks to a 5-year, $2.2 milliongrant recently awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

 

The most common chronic childhood disease, asthma disproportionally affects minority and low-income children, greatly impacting those families with asthmatic children who live great distances from asthma specialists.

 

ACHRI investigator Tamara Perry, MD, is leading the Reducing Asthma Disparities in Arkansas (RADAR) research team that will examine a dozen school districts in rural east Arkansas counties. The team will place video-conferencing systems in six school districts so that recruited students with asthma may have regular education appointments with specialists in Little Rock. The remaining schools will serve as control sites. Researchers believe that schoolchildren participating in the school-based asthma education and monitoring will gain better control over their disease, with fewer episodes of acute breathing problems.

 

"Children with asthma often live with frequent symptoms, so it becomes the norm for them," said Perry, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine. "They don't understand that they shouldn't constantly struggle to breathe. We'll teach them that their asthma can and should be under control."

 

Beginning next fall, the RADAR study will initiate three consecutive years of school-based intervention, with each site hosting video-conferencing sessions for a year. Schoolchildren ages 7 to 14 will learn how to recognize initial symptoms of an asthma attack, why it's important to take their medications as prescribed, and ways to reduce their risk of complications. They'll participate in video-conferencing education sessions during non-instruction periods, such as study hall or recess, and be able to speak directly with ACHRI asthma specialists to answer their questions, allowing physicians to track their progress.

 

The project also calls for parents' involvement by attending courses to learn similar concepts and effective ways to discuss their children's asthma with doctors.

 

Participating schools will receive video-conferencing technology for the year they are involved; the RADAR team will provide training for the districts' IT professionals and school nurses. Investigators will work collaboratively with students' primary care providers, with ACHRI asthma specialists providing updates on the level of patients' asthma control and disease management recommendations, based on published national asthma guidelines.

 

Perry and her team hope the study will reduce the disparities faced by rural children at high risk for asthma. If successful, the RADAR project could become a model for future chronic care telemedicine initiatives in remote communities across the nation.

"We know that being far away from sub-specialty services can be detrimental for children with chronic health problems," Perry said. "It's up to us to find innovative ways to provide the care they desperately need."