Patients and doctors group meetings: an innovative way to explore severe asthma backstage

Marco Caminati; Gianna Camiciottoli; Ilaria Baiardini; Leonardo Antonicelli; Bianca Beghè; Nunzio Crimi; Elisabetta Favero; Anna Agnese Stanziola; Giuseppe Valenti; Dina Visca; Stefano  Del Giacco

doi:10.4081/mrm.2022.854

Patients and doctors group meetings: an innovative way to explore severe asthma backstage

Authors

Marco Caminati Department of Medicine, Allergy and Clinical Immunology Section, University of Verona
Gianna Camiciottoli Department of Biomedical, Experimental and Clinical Sciences, University of Florence and Cardio-Thoraco-Vascular Department, AOUC Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Florence
Ilaria Baiardini Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele (MI)
Leonardo Antonicelli Allergy Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, AOU Ospedali Riuniti, Ancona
Bianca Beghè Department of Medicine, Section of Respiratory Diseases, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena
Nunzio Crimi Respiratory Medicine Unit, AOU "Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele” and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania
Elisabetta Favero Department of Medicine-DIMED, Immunological and Respiratory Rare Disease, Allergy Clinic Ca' Foncello Hospital, Treviso
Anna Agnese Stanziola Department of Respiratory Disease, Federico II University of Naples
Giuseppe Valenti Allergology and Pulmonology Unit, Provincial Outpatient Center of Palermo
Dina Visca Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, Varese and Department of Medicine and Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, ICS Maugeri IRCCS, Institute of Tradate (VA)
Stefano Del Giacco Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Monserrato-Cagliari

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4081/mrm.2022.854

Keywords:

Severe asthma, biologics, patient reported outcomes, patient’s perspective, group meeting

Abstract

Severe asthma patients’ life is heavily influenced by the disease, which has impact on personal and professional choices or general lifestyle. Despite the available tools to help physicians investigating the patient-reported outcomes there is a need for a more standardised and structured approach to include the evaluation of quality of life together with the emotions of patients into the routine clinical interaction. We hereby report the use of an active listening and insight approach to understand the emotions of patients with severe asthma through dedicated in-person meetings involving a group of patients with their doctors, caregivers and an external moderator. The initiative “Patients insight meeting” was organized within 17 specialist referral centres for severe asthma in Italy in 2019 and involved 149 patients. Insights related to 4 different items were collected and a task force composed by the external moderators produced a general report including the suggestions from the participating centres. This experience of group-meetings involving both patients and doctors together represents an innovative way to investigate real life experience and the emotions of asthmatic patients, highlighting unmet needs related to patient’s experience of his/her disease that need to be included in severe asthmatics’ management strategy.

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