Allergic rhinitis, commonly known as hay fever, is one of the most common chronic respiratory conditions in Australia, affecting around 15 per cent of the population.1
It can cause significant irritation and interference in a sufferer’s daily activities, considerably reducing their quality of life.
Yet, as the condition is often self-managed, many people don’t realise that their symptoms can be significantly reduced or even alleviated.
Professor Sinthia Bosnic-Anticevich is a medical researcher, respiratory pharmacist, and founder and Head of the Quality Use of Respiratory Medicines Group at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and the University of Sydney.
She says a challenge facing health professionals managing respiratory conditions such as allergic rhinitis is that patients often adapt to their level of discomfort.
“They don’t really realise how big an impact the condition is having on their day-to-day life,” Professor Bosnic-Anticevich said.
“Most patients trivialise allergic rhinitis, and that creates a really big barrier for pharmacists. Patients, we know, self-select medication, and they’re usually happy with just a little bit of improvement.
“They often think ‘it’s just seasonal’ and leave it at that. One of the challenges that we’ve had as pharmacists is actually convincing them that this kind of treatment isn’t really optimal.”
Apps raise awareness
One way of addressing this issue, she adds, is to encourage allergic rhinitis sufferers to closely monitor their symptoms to gain a long-term picture of their condition, which many apps can facilitate effectively.
Using an app for as little as a couple of weeks can help patients realise that the burden of allergic rhinitis may be greater than they thought, says Prof Bosnic-Anticevich.
“Through these apps, patients are able to input how they’re feeling. It’s a very simple and straightforward way of monitoring – it takes 10 seconds. They can then look at that over time, allowing them to self-reflect on the burden of their condition.”
An abundance of apps are available to assist allergic rhinitis sufferers, each app being slightly different from others.
So, how can patients and healthcare professionals find the app that’s most suitable?
Prof Bosnic-Anticevich and a team of researchers have developed an algorithm to evaluate the proliferation of apps, to help identify those most likely to be of benefit.2
“We’re looking for an app that really is simple but, fundamentally, allows the patient to self-monitor in the right way,” she said. “We want an app that’s built on evidence-based principles and is easy to use.”
Prof Bosnic-Anticevich’s top pick is Mask-air3, an app developed by ARIA (Allergic Rhinitis in Asthma), which she describes as a global leader in allergic rhinitis research.
“It’s validated, easy to use, and has been shown to improve self-management and outcomes,” she said.
“Mask-air has been developed by scientists, clinicians and researchers, who have focused on developing an app that would serve people with allergic rhinitis – plus or minus asthma – in their self-management.
“It has a very simple and straightforward measure of burden of disease, using a visual analogue scale. With the touch of a finger, [users] can point along a line to indicate how severe the burden is. That simplicity actually converts to an accurate assessment of burden. That’s a really important factor when you’re considering apps or any kind of scale.”
Role of pharmacists
Prof Bosnic-Anticevich reiterates the main challenge for pharmacists and their staff in managing allergic rhinitis is getting past that initial barrier where the patient doesn’t believe they need assistance. She recommends starting a conversation with patients to help them evaluate how burdensome or bothersome their condition is.
“That visual analogue scale is available on the app, but is also a tool that you can download off the internet,” she said. “The patient really has to just take a moment to think about how much is their allergic rhinitis actually affecting them, and whether the medication they’ve been using until now is effective.”
This can open the door for pharmacists to share effective treatments that minimise their symptoms, she adds.
“Many patients don’t realise that they could actually live without allergic rhinitis flare-ups,” Prof Bosnic-Anticevich said. “I think that’s really the starting point: recognising the patient probably doesn’t think they need help.”
References
- gov.au/reports/chronic-respiratory-conditions/allergic-rhinitis-hay-fever-in-australia/summary
- wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/cea.14135
- mask-air.com/
This feature was originally published in the August issue of Retail Pharmacy magazine.
