What is the role of home monitoring of lung function in managing asthma in children?

This article examines the evidence for home monitoring of peak expiratory flow (PEF) in children with asthma. While children over the age of 5 years can measure PEF, PEF changes are poor indicators of lung function and do not predict most episodes of clinical asthma. PEF monitoring is not necessary for an effective asthma management plan, most children will not reliably comply with PEF monitoring for more than 4 weeks, and many either fabricate results or record them inaccurately. Home monitoring of lung function, using PEF, cannot be recommended for the routine management of children with asthma.