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Pharmacist-managed, physician-directed asthma management program reduces emergency department visits
T R Pauley1, M J Magee, J D Cury
1Department of Pharmacy, University of Florida Health Science Center/Jacksonville University Medical Center.
Objective:
To determine whether the number of emergency department (ED) visits for acute asthma exacerbations could be decreased by providing patients with a comprehensive program of asthma management delivered by a pharmacist and a physician.
Design:
Patients were selected from the ED and asked to attend a special asthma clinic that provided education about asthma and proper use of asthma medications, regular telephone contact between the pharmacist and patient, and an open-door clinic policy.
Setting:
A university-affiliated urban teaching hospital.
Participants:
The study population consisted of 25 asthmatic patients who were at least 18 years of age and who were seen in the ED a minimum of 3 times in a 12-month period.
Main Outcome Measures:
The number of visits to the ED for acute exacerbations of asthma was measured. Patients served as their own controls. The number of ED visits for asthma during the 6-month study period was compared with two 6-month periods prior to the study period for each patient.
Results:
The total number of ED visits for the 25 enrolled patients six months prior to their enrollment into the study was 92; the number of ED visits during the same months of the study in the prior year was 47. During the study period, there were only 6 ED visits for asthma exacerbations.
Conclusions:
The comprehensive asthma management program reduced the number of ED visits for acute exacerbations of asthma.