Clinical Research Directory

Allergy, Asthma, and Atopic Eczema in Finland

The summary is available at --\> https://www.finnatopy.fi/summary

SBAT for Health Equity

The goal of this research trial is to: 1) Solidify a population health SBAT implementation strategy with our longstanding community collaborators, 2) Perform a district-wide hybrid type 3, stepped-wedge, cluster randomized trial, and 3) Assess the supportive resource utilization and essential features of SBAT to extend sustainability and fidelity in a cost-effective manner.

SMART@Home Feasibility Trial

The proposed research addresses the limitations or lack of a digital platform to provide remote care of medically complex patients. Previous attempts have had poor clinical validity and suffered lack of patient engagement. The study team will deconstruct the previously implemented SMART platforms to create a roadmap, platform, and template to guide clinicians to create new tools. Results from Phase 1 of this project highlighted the need for connectivity between the SMART@Home app and Bluetooth-enable devices to provide objective disease activity data as well as integration with Epic electronic health record so that providers can use the data to inform treatment planning and decision making. A subsequent pilot user validation trial is also needed to confirm development goals were met. Conducting a pilot user validation trial of the SMART@Home asthma tracker, spirometer, and action plan is the purpose of the next phases of this study. A beta test the SMART@Home Asthma Tracker and asthma action plan algorithm will take place with approximately 8 participants. Beta testing will have participants record simulated increases in symptoms to ensure appropriate levels of care is communicated via the app. Then, a group of 40 adolescent (ages 12-17) patients with asthma for a 6-month pilot Randomized Control Trial (RCT). Participants will be randomized into either the IMAAP SMART@Home (n=20) or control (n=20) groups following the completion of baseline measures to test the interactive asthma action plan functionality and impact.

Asthma Ctrl SMART Trial

The primary objective is to examine the efficacy of an mHealth adherence intervention (Asthma Ctrl) on adherence to daily inhaled corticosteroids as measured by electronically monitored adherence in adolescents with asthma. The secondary objective is to compare the effectiveness of three intervention strategies: 1. asthma management app (control); 2. Asthma Ctrl; 3. Asthma Ctrl+ on adherence, lung function, and health care utilization at post-intervention and 1- and 6-month follow-up. The third objective is to explore and contrast different challenges and combinations of challenges to identify which are most impactful in determining response to the three intervention strategies.

Asthma Crisis in Paediatrics: Impact of a Care Pathway in Primary and Hospital Care

This study aims to evaluate the effect of the implementation of the new Asthma Integrated Care Pathway in the Basque Healthcare Service for the improvement of care for children with asthma attacks and the reduction of variability between professionals and care settings in this care practice. Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children and has a major impact on people's quality of life. The Asthma Integrated Care Pathway is a structured multidisciplinary care plan that details the essential steps in the care of patients with mild-moderate asthma attacks and the coordinated practice of the agents involved as dictated by the evidence. This pathway will include quality indicators of compliance with diagnostic criteria, assessment of severity and prescription of drugs, as well as the experience of families and professionals, which have been collected in meetings designed for this purpose. The study consists in a mixed methods implementation trial with two phases: 1. Phase I: a quantitative evaluation will be carried out to assess implementation outcomes at the professional level through a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study with paired control group, with a ratio of 1:2. The primary outcome variable will be the overall percentage of bronchodilator treatment with a spacer chamber in children diagnosed with mild-moderate asthma attacks. We will also include as outcomes to be measured the registration rate of the Pulmonary Score, the recording rate of the assessment of persistent asthma symptoms, and the rate of initiation of background treatment in children with persistent asthma symptoms. These variables will be analysed using differences in pre- and post-intervention outcome measures between the intervention and control groups. 2. Phase II: a qualitative evaluation will be carried out through a structured process with discussion groups focused on the identification of the main barriers and facilitators for the provision of recommended clinical practice related to asthmatic crisis in mild-moderate cases established by the Asthma Integrated Care Pathway. A purposive sample of paediatricians stratified by level of care and service organisations will be recruited to ensure that all views are represented in the discussion groups. The structured script will be designed with questions to explore each of the domains of the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). The study will be carried out mainly in two integrated healthcare organizations (IHO), which are made up of two primary care areas and the paediatric reference hospital emergency department of both areas, as well as the hospitalisation, intensive care and paediatric pneumology departments of said hospital, to extend in the future the Asthma Integrated Care Pathway to the rest of the Basque Health Service IHOs.

The Allergen Reduction and Child Health Study (ARCHS)

The Allergen Reduction and Child Health Study (ARCHS) is a 12-month, two group randomized control trial of children with asthma and who are exposed to cockroaches. Children ages 5 - 17 living in the Greater New Orleans area will be recruited from a variety of clinic and community settings. The overall goal of the study is to improve patient-centered asthma outcomes (asthma symptom days, health care utilization, asthma control and quality of life) by targeting one key allergen - cockroach exposure in the child's home. The investigators propose a simple intervention of insecticidal bait that is low cost, simple to implement, and which is lower toxicity than other forms of pest control. The reduction in the number of cockroaches in the home is an environmental outcome that is patient-centered and is likely to add to its acceptance by families of children with asthma.

Scaling up the Integrated Care Pathway for Acute Asthma to All Osakidetza Pediatric Services Through a Cluster-randomized SMART Design

The main goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of adaptive sequential implementation strategies based on facilitation in promoting the sustainable and widespread adoption and scaling up of the Integrated Care Pathway for Acute Asthma - ASMAbat across all Primary Care and Hospital Pediatric Services of Osakidetza - Basque Health Service.

Evaluation of the Asthma Management Program to Promote Activity for Students in Schools (Asthma-PASS)

Physical activity (PA) is an important component of asthma management in children. Studies show that PA is associated with decreased severity of asthma symptoms, as well as improved disease control and quality of life. However, urban minority children with asthma face barriers to PA on multiple levels.The goal of this research project is to evaluate whether a multifaceted school-based intervention that addresses key barriers to physical activity reduces asthma morbidity among urban schoolchildren with asthma.

N-WATCH: Nottingham Wheeze Assessment in Tidal Children

Children with long-term lung diseases like asthma need better techniques for diagnosis and monitoring of their disease. With better monitoring, it is anticipated that children and their carers will be able to manage their disease better, and be able to spot a deterioration in their condition sooner, leading to earlier intervention, for example to prevent an asthma attack. However, current devices which could be used at home are either too costly, require machines that are impractically large, or require specific breathing maneuvers which are unpopular with patients, or which are difficult for younger children to perform. There is a need for better devices. The N-Tidal C is a CE Marked medical device which measures exhaled carbon dioxide levels accurately. Early work in its use in adult diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease indicates that the device can detect altered lung function associated with disease. This device has several attractive properties for children - it is small, easy to use, and does not require specific breathing maneuvers - just normal breathing. Based on data from a small feasibility study, the study investigators believe that this device will be useful in children. Young children can use it with minimal instruction. Parents and children have reported that it is easy to use. The investigators do not yet have sufficient feasibility information required to plan a larger study, such as deciding how many children the future study will need to recruit, or knowing how well the measurements made with the device agree with standard lung function tests. In this work, the investigators are conducting a feasibility study to determine the number of children needed for a larger trial and to explore how well the N-Tidal C device measurements compare with standard lung function tests. Data from this study will be used to plan future larger studies of the device in children with respiratory diseases.

SMART Implementation-Effectiveness Trial 1

While single maintenance and reliever therapy (SMART) has been the preferred management strategy for Step 3 and 4 (moderate/severe) asthma management since the 2020 NIH asthma guideline updates, adoption of SMART has not been rigorously assessed. This study will test electronic medical record clinical decision support and education implementation strategies (CDS+) to increase adoption of SMART in pediatric primary care. This is the first of two related records.

SMART Implementation-Effectiveness Trial 2

While single maintenance and reliever therapy (SMART) has been the preferred management strategy for Step 3 and 4 (moderate/severe) asthma management since the 2020 NIH asthma guideline updates, adoption of SMART has not been rigorously assessed. This study will test population health management (PHM; asthma community health worker, asthma nurse care manager) implementation strategies building on electronic medical record clinical decision support and education implementation strategies (CDS+), to increase adoption of SMART. This is the second of two related records.

Artificially Intelligent Robot Control

The purpose of the study is to compare the impact of standard asthma education with the standard + Artificially Intelligent Robot (AIR) Control intervention.

Digital Delivery of Person-centered Transitional Care

Advances in medical care have extended the life expectancy of individuals with congenital and pediatric-onset diseases, leading to an increased need for effective transition programs as these individuals move from pediatric to adult healthcare. The STEPSTONES project in Sweden is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a person-centered transition program to support teenagers with chronic conditions during this transition. The project's innovative digital adaptation, Digi-STEPSTONES, seeks to address challenges related to accessibility and continuity of care by delivering the program remotely. This study will assess the non-inferiority of the digital program compared to traditional, in-person care, focusing on outcomes such as patient empowerment, transition readiness, and quality of life. Additionally, the project will explore the implementation and scalability of the digital transition model across various chronic conditions. Preliminary studies have highlighted the importance of structured, person-centered care in improving empowerment and other outcomes in adolescents with chronic illnesses. The Digi-STEPSTONES project aims to provide crucial evidence for the digital delivery of transition programs, potentially enhancing the accessibility and effectiveness of care for young people with chronic conditions in Sweden.

Post-Vent, the Sequelae: Personalized Prognostic Modeling for Consequences of Neonatal Intermittent Hypoxemia in Preterm Infants at Pre-School Age

Despite improved survival of extremely premature infants in recent decades, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) graduates are diagnosed with asthma, sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in childhood, and neurodevelopmental impairments (NDI) at significant rates, disproportionate to their term peers. Early detection and intervention are critical to mitigate the impact of these impairments. Mechanisms leading from premature birth to these undesirable outcomes remain unclear, and accurate prognostic measures are lacking. This study wants to learn if these problems are related to certain patterns of breathing that babies had while they were in the NICU.

Reducing Asthma Attacks in Disadvantaged School Children With Asthma

Our UH3 clinical trial, "Reducing Asthma Attacks in Disadvantaged School Children with Asthma," seeks broad-scale implementation of our effective school-based approach to improve asthma disparities for children, ages 5-12 years, in low-income communities. The investigators will contextualize dissemination and implementation (D\&I) of our Colorado school-based asthma program (Col-SBAP) that reduces asthma exacerbations and missed school days, while also addressing social determinants of health. Our Better Asthma Control for Kids (BACK) Program will evaluate key metrics identified by diverse stakeholders during this dissemination trial in rural and small metropolitan areas of Colorado. Our clinical trial includes two implementation strategies: our standard Col-SBAP, titled BACK-Standard (BACK-S) and an enhanced community-centered approach, titled Back-Enhanced (BACK-E). These two strategies are designed for sustainable delivery by school asthma navigators and school nurses who coordinate with primary care and community resources. The Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) D\&I framework was applied with community partners during the UG3 planning phase to tailor implementation plans that meet local community needs, resources and priorities (EPIS Phases 1 \& 2). BACK-S and BACK-E will be delivered from years 1-3 with data collection for implementation and effectiveness outcomes in 4 Colorado regions. In year 4, the investigators will collect data for sustainment outcomes (EPIS phase 3). The investigators will apply the work from EPIS phases 1-3 to refine our "dissemination playbook" that guides adoption by other school systems (EPIS Phase 4). Our primary implementation hypothesis is: Reach will be greater among students when delivered using the BACK-E arm as compared to BACK-S. Our effectiveness hypothesis is: BACK will be more effective than usual care at reducing asthma exacerbations. The BACK playbook includes training materials and a calculation of return on investment. The investigators are targeting schools with high levels of uncontrolled asthma and asthma associated burden. Our UH3 trial includes partner engagement to ensure BACK is disseminated to diverse geopolitical areas of Colorado with attention to sustainability. Collectively, our approach will accelerate dissemination of BACK nationally to communities experiencing health inequities in pediatric asthma care.

Childhood Allergy and the Neonatal Environment

The purpose of this research study is to study the relationship between childhood asthma, allergies, and early-life environmental factors that may cause childhood asthma and allergies. Previous birth cohort studies have found early-life environmental factors such as allergies, pollutants, viruses and bacteria have all contributed to the development of asthma and allergies. Investigators are doing this research because there continues to be a strong need to understand the root causes of asthma and allergies. The CANOE study is an observational cohort study, which means investigators are not asking participants or participant's child to change their medications and investigators will not be giving participants or participant's child a study drug.

Diagnosing Asthma With Clinically Accessible, Non-invasive, and Efficient Tests: a Child-inclusive Translational Investigation

Asthma is a common inflammatory respiratory disease affecting 11% of Canadians, but its diagnosis remains challenging, leading to delays in treatment or overtreatment. Spirometry with a reversibility test and bronchial provocation testing (BPT), considered the gold standard, are the reference diagnostic methods. However, access to BPT is limited as it is performed in hospital settings. Type 2 inflammation biomarkers, the fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and blood eosinophils (EOS), represent a potential alternative. In addition to their prognostic and theragnostic value, these markers predict a good response to inhaled corticosteroids in individuals aged ≥ 6 years with asthma. However, their use remains restricted to pulmonologists in specialized clinics and is not recommended as a diagnostic tool in Quebec. Despite studies demonstrating their diagnostic value in specialized settings, these tests remain underexplored in primary care and insufficiently studied in children under 12 years. The objective of ou study is to evaluate the relevance and performance of FeNO and blood eosinophils in the diagnosis of asthma in children referred in primary care with non-diagnostic spirometry.

Forced Oscillations Technique During a Metacholine Test in Children

Asthma is the most common chronic lung disease in children. It affects more than 1 in 10 children in France. The methacholine bronchial challenge test (MBT) is indicated to assess the probability of asthma suggested by clinical symptoms by measuring the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), after inhalation of a cumulative dose of methacholine. In children, the measurement of FEV1 requires a high level of cooperation from the child, which can be the source of false negatives or no result if this is not obtained. The objective of this study is to evaluate if the measurement of the respiratory function by the forced oscillations technique, allows to predict the variation of the FEV1 obtained

Impact of Sleep Duration on Immune Balance in Urban Children With Asthma

Urban children with asthma are at high risk for short sleep, due to an environment that jeopardizes both sleep and asthma management. Further, urban children with asthma suffer from altered immune balance, a key biological process contributing to individual differences in asthma morbidity and sleep health. In the proposed research, the researchers will examine the effects of shortened and recovery sleep on immune balance and associated changes in lung function in urban children with allergic asthma through an experimental design.

Smart Inhaler and Remote Asthma Management in Adolescents With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Correct use of daily medications containing inhaled corticosteroids is key for asthma control, yet children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face additional barriers to proper inhaler use. Smart inhalers, a novel technology that provides guidance and immediate feedback on inhaler use techniques, have been shown to enhance correct medication administration in the typically developing pediatric population, but their effectiveness has not been evaluated on the pediatric IDD population for remote home use. This study aims to investigate whether daily application of smart inhalers (1) is feasible, acceptable and usable in the IDD population for remote asthma management, (2) improves the rate of medication use and correct medication administration, and (3) results in improvement in lung function. This effort aims to promote better asthma management in the IDD population for remote home use.

Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Safety Profile of Understudied Drugs Administered to Children Per Standard of Care (POPS)

The study investigators are interested in learning more about how drugs, that are given to children by their health care provider, act in the bodies of children and young adults in hopes to find the most safe and effective dose for children. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the PK of understudied drugs currently being administered to children per SOC as prescribed by their treating provider.

Symptom-driven ICS/LABA Therapy for Adolescent Patients With Asthma Non-adherent to Daily Maintenance Inhalers

Inhaler nonadherence is a common problem that has been estimated to account for approximately 60% of all asthma-related hospitalizations. Unfortunately, prior interventions to improve inhaler nonadherence have shown a lack of long-term success. This study proposes to assess the problem of non-adherence using a D\&I research lens while testing a new inhaler approach to potentially ameliorate the detrimental consequences of maintenance inhaler nonadherence.

The Barts Charity Children's Environmental Health Clinic

The study will be based from a newly formed NHS service, the children's environmental health service. Participants will be children with a known chronic respiratory condition. Participants will undergo personal environmental exposure monitoring as well as home environmental assessments, before personalised exposure reports will be provided including a summary of their exposure and advising mitigation strategies based on exposure patterns and behaviours. The monitoring will be repeated after introduction of mitigation strategies. This will allow a comparison of the effectiveness of each method of mitigation.

Implementation of Asthma Community Home and School Management Program (Asthma CHAMPS)

The long-term goal is to implement an evidence-based asthma intervention based on the Center for Disease Control's recommended framework (EXHALE) within Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS). As part of a stepped wedge pragmatic trial the investigators will: 1. Evaluate the effectiveness of a tailored implementation plan of Asthma CHAMPS in 32 Baltimore city elementary schools to reduce asthma disparities. 2. Conduct a pragmatic trail using a stepped wedge design to evaluate implementation of a school and home asthma intervention program to reduce asthma-related absences, healthcare utilization and exacerbations and improve asthma control, among children enrolled in 32 Baltimore City elementary schools. 3. Use qualitative methods (observation and semi structured interviews) to obtain stakeholder feedback (parents, community health workers, school personnel and administrators) on impact of Asthma CHAMPS, identify potential refinements in intervention and implementation strategies, and evaluate impact of local adaptation and fidelity on implementation success and sustainability.