Structured Nursing Intervention for Adults With Poorly Controlled Asthma: A Pilot Study

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

RESPiraIA-Asma: Structured nursing intervention of 12 months organized in three operational cores (administrative, clinical, and nursing) and delivered across six visits. It combines therapeutic education, inhaler technique training with the Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR) checklist, home peak-flow self-monitoring, biopsychosocial assessment, and a standardized care plan based on the NANDA International (NANDA-I), Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC), and Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC) taxonomies, activated by objective clinical thresholds. Treatment adherence is monitored through the triangulation of the Asthma Control Test (ACT), the Test of Adherence to Inhalers (TAI), and the Medication Possession Ratio (MPR). Follow-up and the deterministic care logic run in REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture).

Study summary

Asthma affects a large number of adults, and many of them do not achieve good control of their symptoms. Poor inhaler technique, irregular medication use, and the lack of structured nursing follow-up are among the main reasons. RESPiraIA-Asma is a 12-month structured nursing intervention designed to address these gaps in adults with poorly controlled, non-severe asthma.

This is a quasi-experimental, single-group, before-and-after pilot study. Each participant is followed across six visits over one year, at baseline and at months 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12. The intervention combines therapeutic education, inhaler technique training, home peak-flow self-monitoring, biopsychosocial assessment, and a standardized nursing care plan based on internationally recognized nursing taxonomies for diagnoses, interventions, and outcomes: NANDA International (NANDA-I), Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC), and Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC), activated by objective clinical thresholds.

A central principle of the model is digital equity: the same standard of care is offered through three equivalent access routes (digital, mixed, or in-person), chosen according to each participant's digital skills, resources, and preferences, so that technology never becomes a barrier to access.

The study evaluates whether the model is feasible to deliver in routine clinical practice, measured through participant retention, data completeness, and acceptability, and it looks for preliminary signals of its effect on asthma control, treatment adherence, lung function, and biopsychosocial well-being. As an exploratory pilot, it is not designed to confirm efficacy; its purpose is to inform the design of a larger future trial.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Change in asthma control measured by the Asthma Control Test (ACT) — Baseline, month 6, month 9, and month 12
  Asthma control assessed with the Asthma Control Test (ACT), a 5-item questionnaire scored from 5 to 25. The main analysis is the within-subject change from baseline to month 12, with a minimal clinically important difference of at least 3 points. The ACT is also the continuous variable used for the sample size calculation.
• Change in objective treatment adherence measured by the Medication Possession Ratio (MPR) — Baseline, month 1, month 6, month 9, and month 12
  Objective adherence to inhaled maintenance therapy, calculated from pharmacy dispensing records as medication dispensed divided by medication prescribed, expressed as a percentage. A value of at least 80% is considered adequate. In participants with recent treatment initiation (less than 6 months), the ratio is not computable at baseline and adherence is assessed through the Test of Adherence to Inhalers (TAI) and inhaler technique.
• Change in self-reported treatment adherence measured by the Test of Adherence to Inhalers (TAI) — Month 1, month 6, month 9, and month 12
  Self-reported adherence assessed with the Test of Adherence to Inhalers (TAI), a 12-item questionnaire; a score of at least 50 indicates good adherence. It is first administered at month 1 because it evaluates adherence behaviour over a prior treatment period, not applicable at baseline.

Trial sites (1)

More Hospital San Carlos, Madrid trials in Spain

Other trials for the same condition