Finkelstein 2005.
| Methods |
Study design: 12‐month parallel RCT Setting: NR |
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| Participants |
Population: 240 participants were randomised to telemonitoring (NR) or to control (NR) Baseline characteristics Mean age (SD): NR % male: NR Inclusion criteria: age 18 and older with mild persistent to severe asthma Exclusion criteria: NR |
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| Interventions |
Intervention: "Home Automated Telemanagement" (HAT). Participants used portable computers connected with a peak flow meter to report their symptoms and to communicate with their provider. The HAT system monitored participants' asthma severity and assisted in carrying out individualised asthma action plans Control: usual care, not described |
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| Outcomes | 'Clinical outcomes' ‐ Those reported in abstract include AQOL symptoms domain and activities domain, CSQ, depression on CESD‐D, number of ED visits (not people) per 2 months | |
| Notes |
Funding: US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) No full paper available, only conference abstract |
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| Risk of bias | ||
| Bias | Authors' judgement | Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) | Unclear risk | Described as randomised, but method used to generate the random sequence not described |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) | Unclear risk | No information regarding allocation concealment |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) Objective outcomes | Low risk | It would not have been possible to hide allocation from participants and personnel, but it is unlikely that this would have introduced bias for objective outcomes (e.g. number of people having exacerbations) |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) Subjective outcomes | High risk | Subjective outcomes such as quality of life and symptom scales filled in by participants or personnel may have been subject to performance bias |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes | High risk | It would have been possible to blind outcome assessors, but no information suggests this was done |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes | Unclear risk | Dropout not reported, only interim data for first 50 participants recruited |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) | High risk | Only an abstract was available with minimal information about methods. Two conference abstracts from 2005 report data for the first 50 participants to complete 4‐month follow‐up. No data are available for the full population of 240 enrolled in the study, and none for the full 12 months of the trial |
| Other bias | Low risk | None noted |