Doctors have been looking for ways to monitor chronic health issues remotely. COVID-19 has pushed telemedicine and remote monitoring to the forefront. The FDA has recognized that devices like Aluna can benefit patients and doctors alike in the management of respiratory issues. If you are a doctor and your patient suffers from asthma, Cystic Fibrosis, or another lung disease, then you should consider how a portable spirometer, like Aluna, could benefit both of you.
How Aluna can benefit both doctors and patients.
As you may know, Aluna is a portable spirometry device that connects to a smartphone app. Together, the device and the app track a patient’s FEV1%, monitor important data and share symptoms and triggers. If used regularly, Aluna could even be used to predict the onset of a respiratory event, like an asthma attack. Some universal benefits for all respiratory patients include the following.
1. Remote monitoring of patients by doctors.
With the ability to measure lung health at home, higher-risk patients may not have to make as many trips to the doctor’s office. The doctor can monitor spirometry data from a dashboard, or a patient can share the results over the internet. Due to COVID-19, more and more doctors have been looking for ways to treat patients remotely. Aluna is the perfect solution for asthma and Cystic Fibrosis patients or others in need of regular spirometry tests.
2. A more precise treatment plan.
Aluna can help a doctor build a more precise treatment plan for their patients. Spirometry data confirms that a patient is taking the right amount of medication, and help a doctor build an action plan customized to each patient’s needs. All patients should continue to use their controller as instructed because medication adherence improves symptoms.
3. Better control of your overall lung health
One of the biggest benefits of using Aluna to monitor lung health is the fact that patients can play a more active role in their health management. Parents can advocate for their children and doctors can gain insight that could lead to better treatment options.
Tips for Receiving the Most Benefit from Aluna
So, how can you be sure that the Aluna device is being used correctly? To receive the most benefit from Aluna and help predict and prevent attacks from occurring, a person must use it regularly.
1. Use your spirometer at least every other day.
Upon receipt of the device, a person will need to use Aluna every day for about two weeks. These readings help establish the “baseline” or “normal” for an individual. This number will vary from person to person. After a baseline is established, best results occur when spirometry is performed at least 15 times a month. When used less often, there may not be enough data to predict the onset of an attack although any insight can still have benefits.
2. Use the correct breathing technique.
To ensure that the lung test results are accurate and helpful, the user should follow Aluna’s spirometry instructions carefully. First, inhale deeply through your nose taking plenty of time. After inhaling, close the lips tightly over the spirometer’s mouthpiece. Keep the lips sealed throughout the test. When exhaling, the user should forcefully push the air from the lungs as quickly and emphatically as possible.
3. Log data diligently.
Spirometry users should log other information such as symptoms and triggers. Finding the correlation between a trigger and a decrease in FEV1% can lead to better treatment and fewer exacerbations.
