In December 2018, ARIA published a guideline (in draft form) on allergic rhinitis care pathways for community pharmacists. Ideally, there should be an accurate AR diagnosis, it says, with a good understanding of how a patient is controlling symptoms. This includes an evaluation of coexisting asthma if appropriate.9

Technology can aid this process, and ARIA endorses the use of the Allergy Diary app, developed by MASK (MACVIA-ARIA Sentinel network). This uses simple sliding visual analogue scales (VAS) to help patients and health professionals understand the nature of the condition on a day-to day basis. It asks users “How much are your allergic symptoms bothering you today?” and prompts them daily to record AR/asthma symptoms, and medication use (for AR and asthma).10,11,12

If the app sees that the user has had uncontrolled symptoms for three days or more, it will suggest the user to contact a health professional and offer to share the results.