What the AD HOC trial is about 

We are evaluating the usefulness of an online intervention for adults with asthma in primary care. Approximately 600 patients with asthma will participate and will be randomly divided into two equal groups (the intervention group and the control group). Participants in both groups will be asked to attend a consultation with a nurse or pharmacist at their GP practice. Participants in the intervention group will be signed up to an online asthma forum and encouraged to engage with the forum, as and when needed. Participants in the control group will receive standard care from their GP practice with the option to join the forum, but only once the study ends. This will ensure we’ll be able to measure whether participation in the asthma community improves asthma management and asthma control. Participants in both groups will be asked some questions about their overall health and well-being at the time of the consultation and at regular intervals over a period of 12 months. The two groups will be compared to establish whether the intervention makes any difference to how well asthma is controlled. At the end of the study follow-up period (12 months) the control group participants will be invited to join the asthma forum if they want to.