Jean Bousquet, et al.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract . 2021 Mar 1;S2213-2198(21)00240-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2021.02.035. Online ahead of print.
Allergic rhinitis treatment options include allergen immunotherapy (AIT). There are different guidelines and national practice parameters or care pathways for AIT. However, the decision to prescribe AIT should be personalized and based on the importance of the allergens and the persistence of the symptoms, even when using appropriate medications.
The practice of medicine has been revolutionized by digital transformation, including mHealth and artificial intelligence, where the patient is placed at the health system’s center. There are different biomarkers associated with mHealth and clinical decision support systems. However, there are two conditions that should be considered before any mHealth tool is used: comply with privacy regulations and validation. Of the few tools available for allergic rhinitis, evidence-based development was found for four Apps: MASK-air, AllergyMonitor, Polle, and Air Rater.
This review focuses on patient stratification for AIT, symptom medication scores for follow-up, clinical trials, and the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI).
Patient stratification is required to:
– Identify the best candidates for intervention through complex care management
– Reduce the time and resources needed to match a patient to a care management programme
– Optimize costs.
Symptom medication scores are needed to assess the efficacy of AIT, especially in clinical trials and observational studies.
The EAACI task force was created to evaluate the state of the art and the future potential of technology in the field of allergic rhinitis. This task force evaluated the design, user engagement, content, potential of inducing behavioural change, credibility, and privacy policies of mHealth products.
In conclusion, mHealth technology is a potential tool to aid AIT’s decision-making, increase adherence, monitor efficacy and safety, and identify responders to the treatment. However, these tools may also have their inconveniences, namely if they are improperly used or are not validated.
