Asthma patients' perspectives on telehealth in disease management: A focus group study.

Objectives: While the effectiveness of telehealth (TH) to improve health outcomes is well established, the utility of Methods: A qualitative exploratory study design was applied during virtual, patient-orientedfocus group sessions and individual telephone interviews. Participants responded to questions spanning 4 main topics: 1) understanding of and beliefs on TH; 2) perceptions about the application of electronic asthma action plans; 3) using tele-communication to interact with a care provider; and 4) prospective TH features for asthma management. Data were collected from 25 patients with asthma (19 attended one of two focus groups and 6 were interviewed individually). Codes and definitions were developed inductively and assembled into a coding framework. Transcripts were subsequently coded, and thematic analysis was performed. Results: Group discussions and individual interviews generated 4 TH-related themes: 1) past experiences and future use of TH; 2) perceived advantages and disadvantages of TH in asthma management; 3) integration of TH into self-management practices; and 4) features of a practical TH model for the current healthcare system. Conclusion: Participants input in the design of TH interventions for asthma management could improve access to and quality of virtual care services.