Implementation of standardized asthma management programs in outpatient settings

This article reviews new approaches, facilitators, barriers, and opportunities to increasing adoption of standardized asthma management programs in the outpatient care setting.

Primary care clinicians providing asthma care in the outpatient setting are challenged by the complexity of guidelines and want standardization of tools that are easy to use and that can be integrated within their practice's workflow. Programs that integrate clinical decision support tools within a practice's electronic health record and provide support from specialists may enhance uptake of asthma management programs in the outpatient setting and reduce asthma morbidity. Lack of an implementation science framework, consideration for organizational context, and clinician buy-in are recently recognized barriers to adoption of asthma programs and improved asthma outcomes. In addition, many of these interventions are labor intensive, costly, and may not be capable of wide dissemination because of the EHR interoperability problem.

Programs that simplify the guidelines, integrate clinical decision support within the EHR, and ground their approach with an implementation science framework may improve the quality of asthma care provided in the outpatient setting.