Is pulmonary index score suitable for the evaluation of paediatric acute asthma?

Methods This was a prospective controlled trial conducted between February 2006 and February 2008 at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Australia. Children aged 1–12 years presenting to the emergency department (ED) with acute respiratory distress and wheeze typical of acute asthma were included. Patients were recruited nonconsecutively during February and winter months of each year of the study period. All physicians and nurses participating at the study were familiar with the National Asthma Council Guidelines (NACGs) and were trained in pulmonary index score (PIS) use. Informed oral consent was provided by the parents. Each child was assessed independently by a physician and a nurse at the same time, before the patient’s first dose of salbutamol. Physicians were allocated to assess children using the PIS on odd days and nurses on even days, and vice versa for the NACG assessment. So, each child was evaluated with the PIS and the NACGs at the same time. The data collected were further analysed using statistical software. In order to assess the internal consistency of the four different items in the PIS, the Cronbach a internal consistency coefficient was calculated.