Latest Asthma Handling Tool: Applications, GPS, and Other Electronic Devices
With the latest technology, you can keep in touch with friends, browse on the Internet, and listen to your favorite songs in one device. But did you know that you can also use your smartphone to manage your health? There are several innovative applications that can keep an eye on your asthma condition, identify what triggers your asthma, and communicate with your doctor easily.
The latest asthma application
The application of a personal asthma record system is being developed by Virginia Commonwealth University and RTI International. This tool, which is part of a health project sponsored by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, can allow you to combine asthma-handling activities into your daily activities on smartphones or other portable electronic devices.
Some features include the ability to:
- keep track of your symptoms
- reported drug use
- check air pollution levels
- noting your allergy symptoms
Your doctor will see your entry on his computer, and give you an idea of how your asthma condition is between visits to your doctor.
Portable sensors identify triggers
Another portable electronic device, from Georgia Tech Research Institute, is a small but powerful portable sensor. The system continuously measures and records air content, such as temperature, humidity, gas, and other allergens. When you experience asthma symptoms while using this device, you can take notes right away. The medical tech specialist will look at the stored data to determine which triggers are exposed to you when asthma attacks. With this portable electronic device, you can mark your asthma cause properly, so there's no need to guess the cause of asthma.
Inhaler and GPS system mark your symptoms
Other innovations include inhalers and GPS systems aimed at better identifying asthma triggers. The project, headed by scientists from the Department of Population Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, looks at the location (not the usual air composition) to sharpen the cause of symptoms. When you have an asthma attack and need to use an inhaler, the GPS will record the location so that your doctor can see your asthma condition pattern.
What you can do
When visiting your doctor, ask about the asthma handling device and find out what works for your situation. With the help of electronic devices and applications for asthma, controlling asthma will get easier.
