Digital peer-support offered in primary care for adults with troublesome asthma
Official title: Measuring Whether Promotion of a Digital Social Intervention by Primary Care Healthcare Professionals and Subsequent Engagement With Online Peer Support Improves Health and Well-being of Patients With Asthma and is Cost-effective: a Randomised Controlled Trial
Run by Queen Mary University of London · NCT06849245 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This trial will try whether promoting and supporting engagement with an online asthma peer community helps adults with troublesome asthma have fewer symptoms over 12 months.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 99 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 600 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Queen Mary University of London Academic / other |
| Locations | 5 sites (Exeter and 4 other locations) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | February 25, 2025 |
| Main results expected | December 2027 |
| Study ends | December 2027 |
| Registry record updated | November 19, 2025 |
| Trial ID | NCT06849245 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults (18–99) with troublesome asthma (ACT < 20) who are interested in digital peer support and are not already members of asthma online communities are the intended participants.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients already active in asthma online communities, those in palliative or long-term institutional care, or people without reliable internet access or who dislike online peer support are unlikely to benefit.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This is a randomized, primary-care–delivered trial comparing usual care with a clinician-promoted digital social intervention that links patients to the Asthma + Lung UK online health community. Eligible adults with troublesome asthma (ACT score <20) are identified by a screening survey and randomized during a 30–45 minute one-to-one consultation at participating general practices. Intervention participants receive login credentials and a brief guided introduction to the online community, then are followed with ACT questionnaires by phone every three months and an online questionnaire at baseline and 12 months. The trial also collects cost, quality-of-life, well-being, healthcare use, and stakeholder satisfaction data and examines fidelity and contextual factors that influence outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the intervention could reduce asthma symptoms and improve quality of life by connecting patients to peer support while potentially lowering healthcare use and costs.
How similar studies have gone: Previous smaller trials and observational work in chronic conditions have shown mixed but promising effects from online peer support, while a definitive randomized trial in asthma is limited.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: To participate in the study, participants will need to: * Be adult asthma patients (aged 18 to 99) who have expressed their interest in digital social interventions in the recruitment survey. * Report troublesome asthma (i.e. an ACT score of less than 20) in the recruitment survey). * Be competent to consent for themselves, as determined by the healthcare professional delivering the consultation. There are no specific criteria for selecting participants for the exit interviews (a convenience sample of patients and clinicians will be used and recruitment will continue until data saturation). Exclusion Criteria: * Patients who are already members of the Asthma + Lung UK online health community or other asthma online health communities/Facebook groups (i.e. general use of social media will not prevent participation). * Palliative or end of life patients. * Patients receiving institutional long-term care (receiving total care in residential homes or living in nursing homes). * Patients considered unsuitable to take part in the study by their general practitioners/nurses. There are no specific criteria for selecting participants for the exit interviews (a convenience sample of patients and clinicians will be used and recruitment will continue until data saturation).
Where it's running
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East Midlands Regional Research Delivery Network
Leicester, United Kingdom Recruiting -
North London Regional Research Delivery Network
London, United Kingdom Recruiting -
North East and North Cumbria
Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom Recruiting -
East of England Regional Research Delivery Network
Norwich, United Kingdom Recruiting -
South West Peninsula Regional Research Delivery Network
Exeter, United Kingdom Not yet recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Anna De Simoni, PhD — Clinical Reader in Primary Care Research, Queen Mary University of London
- Study coordinator: Anna De Simoni, PhD
- Email: a.desimoni@qmul.ac.uk
- Phone: +442078822520
Similar studies
Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.