Managing childhood asthma can be both stressful and costly. Asthma attacks can strike anytime, anywhere, and many of the symptoms of asthma, like shortness of breath, aren’t obvious at first. Asthma symptom trackers can impact your child’s day to day activities and quality of life.
Asthma Trackers for Children With Asthma
For many people, using a mobile app to track asthma symptoms and triggers can be extremely helpful. Here are a few reasons why.
1. It can save you money.
Money isn’t everything. But, because medical expenses can multiply quickly, it helps if you can save both direct and indirect costs. Medication is expensive, as are appointments with specialists, not to mention the time off work required to attend regular checkups. And that’s if you’re lucky enough to avoid any trips to the Emergency Room. All in all, when you consider medication and care, the cost of asthma in the United States is estimated at $56 billion every single year.
So, yes, there’s a big financial incentive to managing asthma better, both in the day-to-day and over the long term. While your child’s asthma may not go away, asthma symptom trackers can provide regular insights and good asthma management habits that can help you save money.
2. It helps you recognize asthma symptoms.
If you use an asthma tracking app regularly, it won’t be long before you’ve built up a pretty good amount of information on your lung health. You’ll be able to see how often you experience symptoms, how severe they are, what time of day they occur, and maybe more.
For many people, just having all that info at your fingertips is reason enough to start using an app. After all, knowledge is power. The real goal, though, is to gather enough data that you and your healthcare provider can take preventative measures to stop asthma from getting in the way of your child’s everyday life.
3. Better communication with your healthcare provider.
All that data can be extremely helpful to your healthcare provider as well as you and your child. You should make a habit of sharing any new data with your doctor during regular checkups.
Some apps even provide streamlined messaging between doctors and patients, so that you can share test results instantly. This can be especially helpful if you notice any results that seem extreme or don’t seem to fit the pattern. Reaching out to your doctor at the moment can help you decide what sort of medication is needed and whether you need to schedule an additional doctor’s appointment for your child.
4. It will motivate you and your child.
Seeing the data can be encouraging for you and your child. It’s a good reminder of all the work you’ve done over time in order to take control of your health. It can help you stay positive and committed, which will, in turn, motivate you to take more detailed notes.
It’s also a way to get your child in the habit of monitoring their health on their own. Good habits are contagious, and developing good habits and coping mechanisms can be crucial to managing any chronic health condition. While many kids feel intimidated by visits to doctors or hospitals, an app they can control from the palm of their hand can help them feel better equipped and motivated to take on the challenges of living with childhood asthma.
5. Asthma trackers provide peace of mind.
Ultimately, the number one thing you want in an asthma management app is a little peace of mind. No matter how severe your child’s asthma, the bottom line is that living with any chronic illness adds a certain amount of stress to your life. Asthma symptom trackers can help mitigate that stress.
Can You Predict an Asthma Attack?
You can’t predict an asthma attack, but an app may help you prepare your response, which can make a major difference to your child’s well-being.
Since your child’s teacher will be with your child the majority of the day, keep them up-to-date on the following information.
