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An evaluation of the action plans of children with asthma
K P Dawson1, P Van Asperen, C Higgins
1University Department of Paediatrics, Westmead Hospital, New South Wales, Australia.
Insights
Asthma action plans are underused in children hospitalized for asthma. Only 29% had a plan, and many lacked crucial details like steroid use or peak flow meter instructions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Respiratory Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease in children.
- Asthma action plans are crucial for managing childhood asthma effectively.
- Current utilization rates of asthma action plans in pediatric hospital settings are not well-documented.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the availability and application of asthma action plans for children seeking hospital care.
- To identify gaps in the content and usage of asthma action plans in pediatric asthma management.
Main Methods:
- A structured questionnaire was administered to parents of 279 children with asthma.
- Data collection occurred in the Casualty Department, Outpatient clinics, and inpatient settings of two Level 3 teaching hospitals.
- The study focused on children attending hospital due to asthma exacerbations.
Main Results:
- Only 29% of children presenting to the hospital with asthma had a written action plan.
- Paediatricians developed the majority (57%) of the plans, covering essential care aspects.
- Key components like steroid use indications (28%) and peak flow meter use for children over 5 (37%) were often missing.
Conclusions:
- Asthma action plans remain significantly underutilized in the pediatric population.
- There is a need to increase the adoption and improve the comprehensiveness of asthma action plans.
- General practitioners should be encouraged to implement action plans for children not currently covered.
Objective:
To assess the provision and use of action plans in children attending hospital because of asthma.
Methodology:
An interviewer administered a structured questionnaire to the parents of 279 children attending the Casualty Department, Outpatient clinics or admitted to hospital because of asthma, at two Level 3 teaching hospitals.
Results:
Only 82 (29%) of the children attending hospital had a written action plan. The majority (57%) were devised by paediatricians and covered the salient aspects of care. However, indications for steroid use were included in only 28% of plans and only 37% of the action plans in children over 5 years incorporated the use of peak flow meters.
Conclusions:
Action plans are still under-utilized in children with asthma. General practitioners should be encouraged to consider the use of action plans for the group of children not already covered.