Nurses welcome NICE recommendation on digital asthma tools

Respiratory nurses have welcomed new draft National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance recommending the use of digital tools to support people with asthma, saying that technology could empower patients and help nurses to focus more on prevention.

The reaction follows the publication of draft guidance from NICE, which recommends that eight digital asthma self-management platforms can be used in the NHS while further evidence is collected over the next three years.

Clearer information for patients 

Maria Eurton, respiratory nurse specialist and non-medical prescriber, told Nursing in Practice that the update was ‘a welcome step forward’ that reflects how people live today.

‘Digital tools fit naturally into everyday life. They can give patients quick and easy access to their action plans, as well as help with symptom tracking on their smartphone,’ she said.

‘For nurses working in a fast-paced NHS, having patients arrive with clearer information about their symptoms and medication use can help us focus our time on where it really counts.’

She added that digital solutions must not widen inequalities and warned that nobody should be ‘left behind’.

‘These tools also need to be accessible, available in multiple languages and properly integrated with GP systems.’

Related Article: ‘Make lung function exciting’: How to deliver a successful spirometry test 

According to NICE, the technologies suggested for use allow people with asthma to use apps or online tools to access personalised support, including a digital personalised asthma action plan, symptom and medication tracking, inhaler reminders and educational content such as videos on correct inhaler technique.

NICE stressed that the tools are designed to support, not replace, regular healthcare appointments.

Some platforms can also share information with nurses or GPs, potentially making reviews and appointments more efficient, NICE added. Different versions are available for adults, children and young people, as well as parents and carers.

According to NICE, asthma affects around 5.4 million people in the UK, including around one in 12 adults and one in 11 children.

The institute warns that poorly controlled asthma can lead to emergency hospital admissions and avoidable deaths. NICE notes that many people struggle to keep hold of paper-based asthma action plans or remember to take their medication consistently.

Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, healthtech programme director at NICE, said the technologies show real promise in helping people manage their condition.

‘By recommending earlier access to these innovations while further evidence is gathered, we are driving transformational care into the hands of patients and healthcare professionals faster, while ensuring value for the NHS,’ she said.

She added that digital tools could also help tackle health inequalities, as people in more deprived areas are three times more likely to have asthma and experience worse outcomes.

The eight recommended platforms are: Asthmahub, Asthmahub for parents, AsthmaTuner, Digital Health Passport, Luscii, myAsthma, RDMP and Smart Asthma.

Early evidence suggests they can improve asthma control, reduce hospital visits and support better medication use, with users reporting increased confidence in self-management, the draft guideline noted.

NICE suggested the technologies could be used during ‘a three-year evidence generation period’, after which the institute will ‘review the additional data collected and decide whether to recommend them for routine use across the NHS’.

Independent respiratory nurse consultant Aleksandra Gawlik-Lipinski told Nursing in Practice that digital tools could offer patients support anytime, anywhere, while helping nurses develop new digital skills.

Related Article: Targeted COPD testing proposed as part of NHS lung cancer checks

‘Digital technologies may offer our patients an exciting way to support this, for example, by helping patients track symptoms, access their personalised asthma action plans, improve medication adherence with reminders, and get concise information or answers to frequently asked questions.

‘They enhance, but do not replace, clinician input, and must be implemented with equity and patient centred decision making in mind,’ she said.

Supporting self-management 

Helena Cummings, senior respiratory nurse specialist and severe asthma service lead, also welcomed the guidance, saying it reflects a modern approach to care.

‘I see the real difference digital asthma care makes to patients’ self-management, particularly for inhaler adherence and personalised action planning,’ she said, while stressing that choice, funding and clinician digital confidence would be crucial.

Continuing face to face care 

While broadly welcoming the move Marieke Strange, lead nurse and primary care respiratory society (PCRS) committee member, stressed the continued need for in-person care to identify respiratory conditions that aren’t asthma. 

‘Asthma responds to asthma treatment and if stepping up treatment does not change the symptoms, one should look elsewhere for a cause of deterioration.

‘[The] implications of treating the “wrong” cause for deterioration is something that needs proper looking at as well as how long patients have been trying to get their symptoms under control,’ she warned. 

Related Article: CPD: Essential tremor – recognition, assessment and management in primary care

NICE has also published separate draft guidance on digital technologies to support spirometry testing for diagnosing asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. One technology, ArtiQ.Spiro, is recommended for use during an evidence generation period, while four others require more research.

Both sets of draft guidance are open for consultation until 21 January 2026, with NICE inviting feedback from healthcare professionals, patients and the public before final decisions are made.

In November 2024 a joint UK asthma guideline was published by NICE, the British Thoracic Society (BTS) and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN). This offered greater clarity on how to diagnose asthma, and an updated, evidence-based approach to treatment.

Before this, clinicians had been navigating some conflicting national and international guidelines and strategies, as well as local recommendations. This had led to some difficulty in diagnosing asthma accurately.