Asthma Assist

Impact

Asthma Assist was designed to address a real engagement problem in asthma care, where outcomes are heavily driven by day-to-day adherence and technique, not just clinic visits. The experience combines ongoing routines, simple check-ins, and clinician visibility so users have clear reasons to return and act over time.

• The opportunity is significant because asthma affects 300M+ people globally, and in Singapore, it impacts roughly 5% of adults and 20% of children, making sustained self-management a meaningful consumer and healthcare need.

• The product addresses a high-impact behavioural gap because inhaler misuse is common. A large review spanning 1975–2014 encompassing 144 studies and 54,354 patients reported that 31%+ of patients could not use an inhaler correctly, which directly contributed to poor control and avoidable escalation.

• A validated “check-in” mechanic is built into the experience using the 5-item Asthma Control Test, where <19 indicates poor control and ≥20 indicates good control. That makes the product’s follow-up cues feel credible and medically anchored rather than generic “wellness” nudges.

• The two-sided patient and clinician experience creates a stronger trust loop, because routines and tracking are not only personal logs, but inputs that can be reviewed and discussed, which supports long-term adherence rather than one-off app usage.

• Pilot benchmarks for adoption and engagement include 35–50% of new users setting up medication reminders within 7 days, which anchors a repeatable habit loop early.

• Behaviour outcomes include a 20–35% improvement in weekly reminder completion within 4 weeks among active users, reflecting stronger adherence support.

• Monitoring engagement includes 25–40% of active users completing at least one control test within 30 days, supported by prompts and follow-up cues.

• Retention benchmarks include 30–45% 30-day retention for users who enable reminders and complete at least one check-in, which is stronger than typical “education-only” app patterns.

• Clinician engagement includes 15–25% of linked patients receiving at least one treatment review or adjustment message within 60 days, demonstrating continuity beyond self-tracking.

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Enhancements

• The experience could be strengthened by adding a hardware-linked airflow sensor to detect inhaler usage quality, so technique support becomes measurable rather than informational.

• Lifecycle engagement could be deepened by making the 4-week control test cadence more proactive, with clearer nudges and follow-ups tied to test completion and symptom patterns.

• Adoption could be improved by tightening onboarding around the first 7 days, so reminders, technique guidance, and the first control test feel immediately valuable rather than optional.