FlowBrush Asthma Surveillance Telemedicine (F.A.S.T)

The 2007 National Institutes of Health Asthma Guidelines recommends that regular home peak flow readings play a central role in classifying asthma severity and in guiding asthma therapy. Despite the wide availability of manual and electronic peak flow meters, asthmatic children and their parents have not traditionally practiced regular, home peak flow use. Few parents of asthmatic children keep an accurate log of their child's daily peak flow readings. Even fewer parents make their child''s daily peak flow records available to the child's health care provider in a timely fashion. Low peak flow measurement compliance and infrequent data reporting make it difficult to manage pediatric asthma in a proactive manner. Pediatric asthma management in the United States remains a reactive endeavor, with children requiring frequent E.R visits and expensive hospitalizations. The FlowBrush / F.A.S.T. (FlowBrush® Asthma Surveillance Telemedicine) System combines the habit of teeth-brushing with the necessity of regular peak flow measurement. This combination is likely to increase asthmatic children's peak flow measurement compliance. Parents generally do not allow their children to skip daily dental hygiene. Because the FlowBrush® is a toothbrush, it places an electronic peak flow meter in the child's hand each morning. Thirty seconds after blowing into the FlowBrush®, the child's lung data is wirelessly transmitted to the F.A.S.T. call center. The child's peak flow data appears on a FlowBrush Care Coordinator's (FCC) computer screen for analysis and review. The FlowBrush Care Coordinator calls the child's parent for ominous trends or non-transmission of data. The FlowBrush® / F.A.S.T. System transforms pediatric asthma management from a reactive to a proactive model by creating a partnership between patients, parents and healthcare providers.