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Evaluation of a diagnostic therapeutic educational pathway for asthma management in youth
Author(s) -
Guarnaccia Sebastiano,
Quecchia Cristina,
Festa Andrea,
Magoni Michele,
Moneda Marco,
Gretter Valeria,
Scarcella Carmelo,
Pluda Ada,
Gasparotti Cinzia,
Frassine Malica,
Vitale Luigi,
D'Agata Emanuele,
Limina Rosa Maria,
Donato Francesco
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
pediatric allergy and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.269
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1399-3038
pISSN - 0905-6157
DOI - 10.1111/pai.12839
Subject(s) - medicine , asthma , medical prescription , emergency department , retrospective cohort study , pediatrics , cohort , randomized controlled trial , emergency medicine , cohort study , psychiatry , pharmacology
Background In spite of some evidence for positive effects of patient's education to asthma self‐management by randomized clinical trials, there are few studies on the impact of patient’ s educational programs in the real world. We aimed to assess the impact of a diagnostic therapeutic educational pathway (DTEP) on asthma control of children and adolescents by comparing frequency of outcomes indicative of asthma control before and after attending the pathway. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study including all patients aged 6‐11 and 12‐17 years who attended the DTEP in 2007‐2014. The DTEP includes 3 specialist's evaluations at 8‐ to 12‐week intervals and two follow‐up visits. Patients and their parents receive an educational course concerning prevention measures, early recognition of symptoms, and appropriate use of drugs and devices. The rates of hospitalizations, outpatient services, emergency room visits, and drug prescriptions were considered as outcomes and computed as number of events divided by person‐time. Results A total of 806 patients were enrolled. A statistically significant decrease in rates from before to after DTEP was observed for almost all outcomes, in both age groups, with relative risks ranging from 0.12 to 0.60. The rates of drug prescription showed a statistically significant decrease, from before to after DTEP, for each type of medicine for asthma, in both age groups, from percent difference of −66% to −24.3%. Conclusions The positive impact of this program on the outcomes indicative of asthma control in both children and adolescents suggests that it may be valuable for asthma management.