Difference in Asthma Control Test™ (ACT) scores in three different clinical practice settings.

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Clinical Research
• Health Outcomes

Background:

• Asthma control is variable due to its complex nature and changes over time.
• Current guidelines emphasize long-term asthma control as a treatment goal.
• Understanding asthma control across different clinical settings is crucial for effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare Asthma Control Test (ACT) scores in patients across different clinical settings.
• To evaluate if patients overestimate their level of asthma control.
• To assess the relationship between ACT scores, inpatient costs, and length of stay (LOS).

Main Methods:

• Administered the 5-item Asthma Control Test (ACT) questionnaire to 447 asthma patients.
• Included patients from both in-patient and out-patient settings (new and follow-up cases).
• Analyzed ACT scores in relation to clinical setting, self-perceived control, inpatient costs, and LOS.

Main Results:

• All 5 ACT items significantly differed across clinical settings (P <0.001).
• Most patients did not overestimate their asthma control based on self-rating versus symptom-based questions (P <0.001).
• No significant correlation was found between ACT scores and inpatient costs (P = 0.419) or LOS (P = 0.373).

Conclusions:

• The ACT is a valuable tool for clinicians to identify and manage poorly controlled asthma.
• ACT aids in optimizing asthma control strategies in diverse clinical environments.
• Asthma control assessment via ACT is reliable, though not directly linked to healthcare utilization metrics like cost or LOS.