Asthma care based on Chronic Care Model in an aging Asian community

To cope with the higher prevalence of asthma and other non-communicable diseases without compromising on quality of care, a Singapore public primary care institution has adopted the Chronic Care Model (CCM). This retrospective cohort study aimed to describe the proportion of patients with well-controlled asthma (based on Asthma Control Test score ≥20) between 2010 and 2016 in association with their management based on the CCM (which covers the polyclinic clinical information system, self-management measures, system re-design and decision support). Data were retrieved from the Singapore National Asthma Programme (SNAP) and institutional clinical quality databases of eight local polyclinics in eastern and southern Singapore. The data were aggregated, analysed and presented in proportions against monthly polyclinic attendances for asthma. From 2010 to 2016, the total asthma attendances increased by 31% from 27,345 to 35,731, with the highest rise among patients aged ≥60 years. The proportion of patients with good asthma control rose from 71.4% to 80.9%; those who received rescue therapy for acute exacerbations fell from 15.8% to 11.7% and those referred to emergency departments after failed rescue therapy decreased from 0.7% to 0.6%. The proportion of patients with updated asthma action plans increased from 66.7% to 73.4% (proxy for self-management). The overall health and process outcomes of asthma seemed to have improved with multiplex of system-based interventions relating to the introduction of CCM in a public primary healthcare institution in Singapore.