Maintenance of an Asthma Intervention Post-Trial: Use of a Patient-Activated Reliever-Triggered Inhaled Corticosteroid (PARTICS) Strategy in Black and Latinx Patients.

PURPOSE: A Patient-Activated Reliever-Triggered Inhaled Corticosteroid (PARTICS) strategy of enhancing usual care with rescue short-acting beta agonist (SABA) supplemented with inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) reduces asthma exacerbations vs. usual care alone in Black and Latinx adults with moderate-severe asthma. We investigated post-trial PARTICS usage and patient perceptions of efficacy.

METHODS

PREPARE trial participants randomized to the PARTICS intervention were surveyed an average of 29 months after trial exit.

RESULTS

Of 600 PARTICS-assigned PREPARE trial participants, 505 consented to future research. Fifty-two percent (262/505) completed this survey. Forty-one percent (108/262) continued using PARTICS post-trial. Of these, 97% (105/108) reported that PARTICS helped to control their asthma. Thirty-four percent (37/108) switched from the trial provided QVAR® to other ICS brands due to insurance coverage or clinician issues (e.g., unwillingness to prescribe or misunderstanding of PARTICS; 65%, 24/37). Of those who stopped using PARTICS post-trial (59% [154/262]), 62% (95/154) reported using PARTICS until the PREPARE-provided ICS inhaler ran out, and 31% (47/154) reported not knowing that their asthma care clinician could prescribe it. Only 2% (5/154) of those not using PARTICS reported that it had not been helpful for asthma.

CONCLUSIONS

Continued PARTICS use was common >2 years post-trial despite minimal study instruction and was perceived as helpful for asthma, suggesting that patients will likely adopt this strategy if implemented at a healthcare system level.