Implementation of the Asthma Control Test in a Large Primary Care Network

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pulmonology
• Quality Improvement Science
• Primary Care Medicine

Background:

• Asthma control is a key objective in pediatric care, necessitating reliable assessment methods.
• This quality improvement initiative focused on integrating standardized asthma control assessments into a primary care setting.
• The Asthma Control Test (ACT) and Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT) were selected for implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate the integration of the ACT and C-ACT within a large primary care network.
• To establish a reliable and consistent method for assessing asthma control across all patient visit types.
• To achieve a target completion rate for ACT/C-ACT administration in pediatric asthma patients.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study design was employed to track provider documentation of ACT/C-ACT use.
• Patients aged 4 and older with asthma were administered either the ACT (12+) or C-ACT (4-11).
• The quality improvement project spanned 11 centers from November 2013 to December 2014, with a 70% completion rate goal.

Main Results:

• The project successfully achieved the 70% ACT/C-ACT completion rate within six months of implementation.
• Sustained completion rates exceeding 70% were observed through December 2016.
• Demonstrated feasibility of integrating asthma control assessments into a busy primary care network.

Conclusions:

• The ACT and C-ACT are effectively integrable into busy primary care settings.
• Consistent assessment of asthma control using validated tools is crucial for advancing pediatric asthma care.
• This approach represents a critical first step toward optimizing asthma management in children.