Clinical Research Directory

The Development of the Walsh Asthma Self-management Programme and Feasibility of Implementation in Adults With Asthma in Primary Care

Asthma is a common medical condition in Ireland. Adult patients tend to have periods when their asthma is stable and periods when it worsens. In order to reduce these periods of worsening asthma, effective ongoing management is required day to day by adults with asthma. Teaching adults how to manage their asthma effectively, plays a huge role in improving their asthma and having a better overall quality of life. This education on managing asthma has many different parts to it. Most adults will discover they have asthma through their general practitioner (GP) and it will be continued to be checked and managed through their GP or general practice nurse (GPN) in their primary care clinic for the duration of their lives. This research study is taking place to find out if a new education programme, will help adults manage their asthma better and improve the symptoms of asthma, reducing its overall impact on day-to-day life. This study is also looking at how easy it is to introduce and for nurses to deliver this study within a GP/ primary care centre. This study is to find out if this education programme works in a real life setting and if it can lead to better control of asthma for adults.

Boosting Referrals to Asthma Specialists for Patients Seen at the Emergency Room for an Asthma Exacerbation

This study is testing a new way to help adults with asthma get follow up care after an emergency room (ER) visit for an asthma attack. Many people who come to the ER for asthma never see an asthma specialist afterward, even though specialists can offer treatments such as advanced inhalers or biologic medicines that may prevent future attacks. The study will compare two approaches. One group will receive a telehealth appointment with an asthma specialist that is scheduled for them before they leave the ER. The other group will receive the usual care, which typically includes a standard referral but no scheduled appointment. All participants will be offered a prescription for standard controller medication at discharge. The main question the study aims to answer is whether arranging a telehealth visit directly from the ER increases the number of patients who complete a follow up appointment with an asthma specialist within three months. The study will also look at whether this approach improves asthma control, reduces repeat ER visits, and helps patients better understand and use their asthma medications. This research may help identify a practical way to improve access to asthma specialists and reduce the burden of asthma for patients who frequently rely on emergency care.

Replacing Gas Stoves With Portable Electric Appliances to Improve Indoor Air Quality and Asthma Control

The goals of this study are to determine if replacing gas stoves with portable electric hot plates and electric toaster ovens will improve indoor air quality and asthma control. Researchers will enroll participants with poorly controlled asthma and provide them with hot plates and toaster ovens to use instead of gas stoves. Researchers will measure indoor air quality about 1-2 weeks before and about 2-3 months after providing portable appliances. Participants will answer questions about their asthma symptoms and take lung function tests about 1-2 weeks before and about 2-3 months after using portable appliances.

A Study Assessing the Effect of Dupilumab on Inducing Clinical Remission in Asthma

This study tests whether an asthma medication called dupilumab can help people achieve complete asthma control (called "remission") when given earlier in their disease, before asthma becomes severe. Currently, most people with asthma only receive advanced treatments like biologics after their condition has worsened significantly and caused lung damage. This study explores whether treating high-risk patients earlier could prevent asthma attacks and lung function decline, potentially achieving remission before permanent damage occurs. The study is looking for adults aged 18-79 with moderate asthma who have had at least one asthma attack requiring steroid pills in the past 2 years, use medium or high-dose inhaled steroids regularly, have high levels of inflammation markers in their blood and breath tests, but don't yet meet criteria for severe asthma requiring biologic therapy. Participants receive either dupilumab or placebo injections every 2 weeks for one year, alongside their regular asthma medications. They attend clinic visits every 3 months for breathing tests, questionnaires, and safety monitoring. Neither participants nor doctors know who receives the real medication until the study ends. The goal is to learn whether early treatment with dupilumab helps more people achieve complete asthma control compared to standard care alone, potentially changing how asthma is treated from "waiting until severe" to "preventing severe disease." The study runs in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, involving 150 participants

Pollution Intervention to Impact Kids Asthma Study

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if adding Air Quality Index (AQI) information to asthma action plans works to improve asthma outcomes in children. It will also learn about children with asthma who report being more sensitive to outdoor air pollution. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does adding either information about the EPA-AQI or commercial AQI improve asthma outcomes over time? * Are there changes in nasal gene expression in children with asthma who report they are more sensitive to outdoor air pollution? Researchers will compare EPA-AQI and the commercial-AQI groups to a control group to either AQI works to improve asthma. Participants will: * Receive standardized outdoor air pollution education and an asthma action plan * Provide nose and blood specimens * Have visits every 4 weeks for 48 weeks, 10 will be conducted by telephone calls and 3 visits will be in person.

OptimAIR: Towards Right Care in Asthma Through Point-of-care Phenotyping, Guideline-based Assessment and Management Optimalisation Using the AsthmaOptimiser in Primary Care

Asthma is mainly managed in primary care, yet disease control remains suboptimal. Many patients experience ongoing symptoms, exacerbations, and frequent short-acting β₂-agonist use, while underestimating the severity of their condition. Approximately 40% of patients have uncontrolled asthma based on Asthma Control Questionnaire scores. This highlights the need for structured assessment of asthma control, risk factors, inhaler technique, and alignment of treatment with international guidelines. Structured asthma reviews and digital support tools may help optimize and personalize asthma management, particularly for patients at increased risk of exacerbations. Novel risk prediction tools using biomarkers such as FeNO and blood eosinophils show promise but are not yet routinely used in primary care. This study aims to assess asthma control, identify patients at higher risk of exacerbations, and explore opportunities for management optimization in primary care. In addition, it supports the development of a longitudinal respiratory registry to facilitate clinical research and participation in future clinical trials.

Asthma Intervention With Residential Ventilation and Air Cleaner (AIRVAC) Study

The primary goal of this study is to investigate the comparative long-term (i.e., 1-year) effectiveness of energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) and portable air cleaners (PACs) in reducing indoor air pollutants and mold levels and improving asthma-related health outcomes in inner-city children and adults with asthma in low-income households in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metropolitan area, TX. Secondary goals include: (1) examining associations among asthma outcomes, exposure to indoor air pollutants and mold, and housing-related factors, (2) conducting a cost-benefit analysis of ERV and PAC interventions for improving IAQ, mold control, and health outcomes, and (3) evaluating the utility of cost-effective methods and protocols for measuring IAQ and mold for indoor air pollution epidemiology studies and for providing practical information to patients and their physicians. Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized controlled trial, 80 households will be assigned to receive active or placebo versions of ERVs or PACs. Environmental exposures and housing conditions will be monitored alongside comprehensive health assessments, including lung function tests and validated surveys on asthma control, quality of life, stress, and sleep quality.