Idea Outline
Treating asthma attacks is a stressful and sensitive procedure. We propose to specify a toolkit which apart from the medical utensils , it will also incorporate a tablet-based device with a touch screen and sensors.

The Challenge
A notable part of population suffers from asthma. Handling asthma attacks is a sensitive procedure performed under distress and emergency. Especially for children it involves the personalised treatment by persons such as parents or teachers not necessarily medically qualified. In some cases the caring doctor specifies (in writing) a treatment protocol applicable to an individual child aiming to the understanding of emergencies and facilitating decision-making under these emergencies. Currently, there is no significant ICT involved for asthma attacks; for checking if medications have expired or assisting with actions under distress or communicating with the parent/doctor to receive further guidance. Finally there is no formal tracking of actions taken.

The Solution

Our approach is to specify a digitally driven asthma Kit. Apart from the usual medicine shots it would also contain
a) a tablet-based machine with touch screen and network connectivity that will implement the treatment protocol and facilitate (Skype) communication with parents or doctors.
b) Wireless sensors on inhalers to measure the amount given to the patient and estimate the effect.

Moreover we seek to automate the treatment protocol and investigate the optimum user experience for implementing.. This work will not modify the treatment protocol, it will only present it in a digital, user-friendly format.

We intend to build a prototype and check its feasibility with
a) General practitioners
b) Teachers
c) Group of parents of children aged 7-12
d) Manufacturers of asthma devices

Target group and social impact
The target group is families with asthma sufferers and schools. On a family level our approach aims to the specification and adoption of personalised treatment. On the school target group, the kit would be especially useful on field trips and increase the safety feeling for both parents and teachers. Consequently, it will aid the assurance of asthma sufferers participating in outdoor school activities. Finally, semi-automating the treatment will reduce the cost of asthma treatment (around 2,700 euros per admission) and through standardisation it will generate data around the treatment procedure by non-medical personnel




Competences of the applicant
Out ream includes hardware and software engineers as well as user-experience experts. The group has completed various projects ranging from 5K Innovation vouchers up to large FP6/FP7 projects. We have links on a local and national level with GPs and primary health care specialists.