The CHEST Study

The CHEST Study Team brings together community health providers, Washington University physicians, and health communication experts all working to improve asthma care in St. Louis. Our goal is to connect more patients with SMART Therapy, a form of asthma care that is guideline-recommended and proven to improve asthma care in St. Louis.

CHEST stands for A Partnership with Community Health Centers to Implement SMART for Asthma. The study objective is to evaluate how well a comprehensive SMART implementation package can enhance asthma management strategies and improve patient outcomes within the real-world context of federally qualified health centers.

About the Partnership

The CHEST Study team consists of pulmonologists, researchers, designers, and community partners. The multidisciplinary nature of the study utilizes experts in public health, implementation science, and design research. The CHEST Study partners with local community organizations for dissemination and participatory-based action research.

Illustrators and researchers from the Health Communication Design Studio worked with the CHEST Study team to design a human-centered, accessible asthma action plan for SMART Therapy. After identifying patients’ needs through interviews with patients and providers, the team worked to curate a design that delivers information in a visually appealing way, including illustrations that demonstrate proper inhaler technique and color-coding to differentiate between management strategies. Patients and providers were consulted for suggestions and further iterations throughout the design process to emphasize patient-centered care.

SMART, Single Maintenance and Reliever Therapy, is the recommended inhaler treatment for individuals with moderate-to-severe persistent asthma. This therapy involves using a single metered dose inhaler (MDI) that combines an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and a long-acting beta agonist (LABA) on a daily basis, as well as when needed. With SMART, patients can utilize the same inhaler regularly and as required.

Our experience with the Health Communication Design Studio has been transformative. They thoughtfully and beautifully created tools that help patients better understand how to use their asthma medications. We are testing out these tools as part of an NIH study to see if they help more patients receive guideline-recommended asthma care.

— James Krings, MD, MSCI

As the design researcher for the CHEST Study, I have been lucky enough to work with a team of professionals whose specialties span disciplines to reimagine the design of asthma action plans. Our team’s collective passion for public health has created an array of deliverables that will hopefully positively impact the community in the future.

— Khadijah Kareem, HCDS Design Researcher

I’ve really enjoyed working on The CHEST Study thus far. There are many layers with this project, but being able to work directly with community members and healthcare providers has made the experience much more human and immersive. I love being able to work for something I know will have a direct, positive impact in STL, and I love our little team! I’m grateful for the opportunity to have my illustrations and designs distributed throughout the city, and I look forward to how this study will continue to progress over time.

— Hannah Kim, HCDS Designer