Research
Seed Grant Profile
93
2008-2009 Program
Web-based Technologies for Management of Asthma in Children
Asthma is a chronic lung disease which causes inflammation and narrowing of the airways and makes breathing difficult. Its common symptoms include wheezing, chest tightening, breathlessness and cough (Georgia Department of Human Resources, 2007). One in six children have asthma and it accounted for nearly $46 million in medical expenditures in Georgia in 2006. Critical components of asthma care include development of an action plan, daily monitoring of lung capacity and awareness of the triggers that may lead to an asthma attack. While there are aspects of asthma monitoring that require individualized treatment (i.e., action plan; prophylactic doses) there is much information that is relevant for the general population of asthmatics. In Georgia there is currently no single website where an individual with asthma or their caregiver can go to get relevant general information. As part of a new Health Systems Institute (HSI) Asthma Initiative, we propose to build such a website.
Investigators: Rosa Arriaga (GT, Interactive Computing), Randall Brown (Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Pediatric Pulmonology)