Post Exacerbation Asthma Clinic Telecare Intervention to Reduce Recurrent Exacerbations

Overview

Asthma exacerbations leading to emergency department visits or hospitalization are associated with a high risk of recurrent exacerbations, poor disease control, and increased healthcare utilization in the months following discharge. Early specialist follow-up during this vulnerable transition period remains limited, and many patients do not receive optimized long-term asthma management. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether a structured remote asthma clinic intervention initiated shortly after hospital discharge can reduce recurrent exacerbations and improve asthma-related outcomes compared to standard community care. This prospective randomized study will enroll 220 adult patients (18-75 years) presenting to the emergency department at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center with an asthma exacerbation. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: 1. Intervention group - will undergo two structured remote pulmonology follow-up visits via secure video consultation within 7-21 days and 5 months after discharge, including treatment optimization, inhaler technique assessment, and self-management education. 2. Control group - will continue standard community care without additional intervention. All participants will complete scheduled follow-up assessments over 12 months, including evaluation of exacerbations, asthma control, healthcare utilization, and medication use.

Data collection: Participants will be followed for 12 months after enrollment. In the intervention group, remote clinic visits will be conducted 7-21 days after discharge and again 5 months after enrollment. In addition, follow-up phone calls will be conducted at 3 months, 9 months, and 12 months after enrollment. The control group will undergo follow-up phone calls at the same assessment time points, without remote clinic intervention. Data collected will include recurrent exacerbations, systemic corticosteroid use, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, medication changes, rescue inhaler use, and asthma symptom burden assessed using the Asthma Control Test (ACT). Participants will be randomized to their respective intervention groups using a secure system of sequentially numbered, opaque, sealed envelopes (SNOSE) containing the treatment assignments. To maintain strict allocation concealment and minimize selection bias, the entire randomization process will be managed exclusively by an independent study coordinator. The principal investigators and clinical research team members directly involved in participant enrollment, care, and data collection will have no involvement in the generation, maintenance, or opening of the assignment envelopes. The independent coordinator will open the designated envelope only after a participant has successfully completed the baseline assessment and met all eligibility criteria. Sample Size Calculation: Based on preliminary data, the average exacerbation rate during the first 3 months is expected to be 0.25 exacerbations per patient in the control group and 0.10 in the intervention group. To detect this difference with 80% power and a significance level of 0.05, 100 participants are required in each group. Assuming a 10% loss to follow up, the planned sample size is 220 participants (110 participants per group).