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Pediatric Asthma Study of the State Medical Society of Wisconsin
J R Meurer1, C P Helstad, S M Wiegmann
1Community Pediatrics Center, Advancement of Urban Children, Medical College of Wisconsin and Children's Health System, USA.
Insights
Asthma care for children in Wisconsin often misses national guideline targets, highlighting a need for better education, written plans, and medication adherence. Specialist care showed better asthma self-management outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Public Health
- Evidence-Based Medicine
Background:
- Asthma management requires adherence to evidence-based national guidelines.
- Current pediatric asthma care practices in Wisconsin were compared against these guidelines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the alignment of usual asthma care for children with established clinical practice guidelines.
- Identify gaps in asthma management and self-management among pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey was conducted with parents of 245 children (aged 2-14 years) diagnosed with asthma.
- Data were collected from 13 physician practices in Wisconsin.
Main Results:
- A significant portion of children experienced psychosocial issues, and written care plans were rarely utilized.
- Deficiencies in understanding asthma triggers, particularly tobacco smoke, were noted.
- Children with persistent asthma symptoms often lacked daily control medication, with specialist care demonstrating superior self-management outcomes compared to primary care.
Conclusions:
- Asthma care for children in Wisconsin demonstrates inconsistency with national guidelines.
- Families require enhanced education, structured written care plans, appropriate pharmacotherapy, and psychosocial support to improve asthma control.
Problem:
Asthma management should follow evidence-based national guidelines. We compared patient self-reports of usual care to clinical practice guidelines.
Methods:
Cross-sectional survey of parents of 245 children age 2-14 years with asthma seen by physicians at 13 practices in Wisconsin.
Results:
Most children with asthma were atopic and a substantial number experienced psychosocial problems. Families infrequently used written care plans. Knowledge about asthma triggers, especially tobacco smoke, was deficient. Increasing asthma severity was associated with poorer health. Although most parents rated their physician's expertise as excellent or very good, one-third of children with persistent symptoms used no daily control medication. Significant differences were observed between primary care and specialty care with the best asthma self-management done by patients of specialists.
Conclusion:
Care of Wisconsin children with asthma inconsistently follows national guidelines. They and their families require improved education, written care plans, appropriate medications, and psychosocial support.
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