IMPlementing IMProved Asthma self-management as RouTine (IMP²ART) in primary care: study protocol for a cluster...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Implementation Science
• Respiratory Medicine

Background:

• Asthma is a prevalent chronic condition with significant public health implications.
• Supported self-management, including personalized asthma action plans and regular reviews, is recommended but underutilized in practice.
• The IMP2ART (Implementing Improved Asthma Self-Management as Routine) strategy aims to address this implementation gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the IMP2ART strategy in increasing the provision of asthma action plans.
• To determine if the IMP2ART strategy reduces unscheduled healthcare utilization for asthma in UK primary care.
• To assess the impact on asthma outcomes and quality of life.

Main Methods:

• A cluster randomized controlled trial involving 144 UK general practices.
• Practices were randomized to either the IMP2ART implementation strategy or a control group receiving usual care.
• Data on unscheduled care, asthma action plan ownership, reviews, prescribing, and patient-reported outcomes were collected.

Main Results:

• The IMP2ART strategy led to increased asthma action plan ownership at 12 months.
• A reduction in unscheduled care was observed in the second year post-randomization in the intervention group.
• Secondary outcomes showed improvements in asthma reviews and patient-reported measures.

Conclusions:

• The IMP2ART strategy is an effective approach to implement supported asthma self-management in routine primary care.
• Facilitated implementation of asthma action plans can reduce unscheduled consultations and improve patient outcomes.
• This study provides evidence for integrating supported self-management into standard asthma care pathways.