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Hailie app

An app for people with asthma or COPD, to help them remember to use their inhalers.
Also called smart inhaler.

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Hailie app	By Adherium (NZ) Limited
	Features Medication reminders for inhalers. Audiovisual reminder. Electronically monitors compliance. Syncs to phone. Track peak flow (manual input).
Country of origin	New Zealand
Clinical review	At current price: If on sale: Read a clinical review below.
Security and privacy	Read more about safety and security when using apps. Brochures: Tips to improve your privacy and security [PDF, 65 KB] Healthify He Puna Waiora, NZ Staying safe online(external link) Netsafe, NZ
Cost	Requires a subscription – one sensor plus or two sensor plus apps annual fee. Learn more about app charges.
How to get the app	(external link) (external link) (external link)

This app links to a Hailie™ sensor for your inhaler(s) via bluetooth. You can then track medication use and enable an audio and visual reminder for dosing. There are a range of Hailie sensors, each designed to work with a different inhaler type. The app has built-in audio visual alarms to remind you when to take a puff and sensors to track whether you did. This is to encourage you to remember to use your inhaler on time. The app syncs automatically with your Hailie™ sensor, giving you access to your medication history. If you're caring for an elderly parent or child, the Hailie app helps you keep track of their doses, even when you are not there.

How to get started?

There are attachable sensors for most available asthma inhalers in New Zealand. They are purchasable via subscription from the app website(external link). They will be delivered to you, and you can then follow the setup instructions online to link to the app. For a more detailed description of the app, see Google Play(external link) or iTunes(external link) and for a detailed review, see reviews below.

PROS	CONS
✔ Set up a prescribed dosing schedule. ✔ Programmable alarm for medication reminders. ✔ See reports of your inhaler usage ( historical compliance). ✔ Once it is all set up it is very easy to use. ✔ Compact design ✔ Their research on the MDI and turbuhaler versions showed accuracies of 99.7% and 99.9%, respectively (1,2). Research on an older version of their device showed that it improved adherence (3).	✘ The turbuhaler device occasionally doesn't register puffs especially if inhaling too fast. ✘ Sometimes it doesn't sync for a couple of days, but there is a force sync option. ✘ Set up can be challenging and the package instruction leaflet should have more detail. However, the support team is very helpful in getting it running. ✘ If you carried one inhaler at home and one at work/school then you would obviously need two devices. ✘ The devices only detected rotation (turbuhaler) and actuation (MDI), not flow so it would be easy to fake compliance. ✘ The device is not rechargeable. With the subscription you receive a replacement when the battery runs out. ✘ No feedback on correct inhaler use like some competitors. For example, it doesn’t tell you if you haven’t shaken it before use, if you held it in the correct orientation or if you breathed in deep or long enough. ✘ No education within the app about asthma and correct inhaler use etc. ✘ There is the odd inhaler for which there is currently no device available such as the Breo Ellipta. ✘ It is quite pricey and it is on subscription. At the time of review it was $99.50 per year for one device, and $149.50 per year for two devices. It seems to go on sale sometimes (for example two devices for $41.33 in April 2018).

PROS

CONS

✔ Set up a prescribed dosing schedule.

✔ Programmable alarm for medication reminders.

✔ See reports of your inhaler usage ( historical compliance).

✔ Once it is all set up it is very easy to use.

✔ Compact design

✔ Their research on the MDI and turbuhaler versions showed accuracies of 99.7% and 99.9%, respectively (1,2). Research on an older version of their device showed that it improved adherence (3).

✘ The turbuhaler device occasionally doesn't register puffs especially if inhaling too fast.

✘ Sometimes it doesn't sync for a couple of days, but there is a force sync option.

✘ Set up can be challenging and the package instruction leaflet should have more detail. However, the support team is very helpful in getting it running.

✘ If you carried one inhaler at home and one at work/school then you would obviously need two devices.

✘ The devices only detected rotation (turbuhaler) and actuation (MDI), not flow so it would be easy to fake compliance.

✘ The device is not rechargeable. With the subscription you receive a replacement when the battery runs out.

✘ No feedback on correct inhaler use like some competitors. For example, it doesn’t tell you if you haven’t shaken it before use, if you held it in the correct orientation or if you breathed in deep or long enough.

✘ No education within the app about asthma and correct inhaler use etc.

✘ There is the odd inhaler for which there is currently no device available such as the Breo Ellipta.

✘ It is quite pricey and it is on subscription. At the time of review it was $99.50 per year for one device, and $149.50 per year for two devices. It seems to go on sale sometimes (for example two devices for $41.33 in April 2018).

Clinical review

At current price:

If on sale:

Reviewer: Jeremy Steinberg, GP, FRNZCGP
Date of review: June 2018
Platform: Android
Version: 6.1.0.8
Comments: This app is most useful for people with asthma or COPD struggling with medication compliance. Poor compliance with asthma medication is a big problem. For many people it can be very hard to remember to use their inhalers. There is some evidence that using electronic inhalers like Hailie can improve compliance (3,4).
I tested out the Turbuhaler (Symbicort) and MDI (Respigen) versions for two months. I was impressed by its utility and ease of use. However it is a little behind some of it’s competitors in that it doesn’t provide any feedback on inhaler use and it is non rechargeable.
At the current price it is too expensive for me to recommend it to anyone except those that are very well-off unless if it was on sale.
Safety concerns: None.
New Zealand relevance: Very relevant to New Zealand - designed by a New Zealand company for inhalers available in New Zealand.

Consumer guide: how to choose a health app
Clinicians guide: how to choose a health app
Asthma apps
NZ Health App Library
Asthma topics | Mate huango
COPD | Mate ia tuku

References

Patel M, Pilcher J, Chan A, Perrin K, Black P, Beasley R. Six-month in vitro validation of a metered-dose inhaler electronic monitoring device: Implications for asthma clinical trial use. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012 Dec 1;130(6):1420–2.
Pilcher J, Shirtcliffe P, Patel M, McKinstry S, Cripps T, Weatherall M, et al. Three-month validation of a turbuhaler electronic monitoring device: implications for asthma clinical trial use. BMJ Open Respir Res. 2015 Nov 1;2(1):e000097.
Chan AHY, Stewart AW, Harrison J, Camargo CA, Black PN, Mitchell EA. The effect of an electronic monitoring device with audiovisual reminder function on adherence to inhaled corticosteroids and school attendance in children with asthma: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet Respir Med. 2015 Mar 1;3(3):210–9.
Inhaler reminders improve adherence with controller treatment in primary care patients with asthma(external link) - Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology [Internet].

Disclaimer: The NZ Health App Library is a free consumer service to help you decide whether a health app would be suitable for you. Our review process is independent. We have no relationship with the app developers or companies and no responsibility for the service they provide. This means that if you have an issue with one of the apps we have reviewed, you will need to contact the app developer or company directly.

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Hailie app

Hailie app

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Clinical review

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References

Factsheets – using health apps safely