By Melba Newsome | Posted August 4 2010
Summer presents a conundrum for 10 year-old Alex. He has more time for the sports he loves—like swimming, softball and riding his bike. But because he has asthma, the summer heat and higher pollution levels also put him at greater risk of an attack. Sometimes just trying to catch his breath is harder than popping the perfect wheelie.
In April, 2007 Physician Health Partners, Colorado Pediatric Partners, Children’s Hospital Denver and Colorado Allergy and Asthma Centers launched Colorado’s Asthma Quality Improvement Initiative with the mission to help kids like Alex breathe easier. “Asthma affects a large percentage of our population but there is not a great deal of cooperation within the medical community,” says practice quality specialist Britta Fuglevand. “Four medical groups in Colorado wanted to change that and protect the health of kids affected by this dangerous and frightening disease.”
Although there are readily available national guidelines for asthma care, compliance among doctors has been very low simply because many doctors aren’t familiar with the guidelines and have limited time with patients. Add to the mix a lack of agreement in the medical community as to which guidelines are most beneficial and you’ve got a recipe for ineffectiveness. The Asthma Quality Improvement Initiative has made great strides in tackling the most pressing issues affecting kids like Alex and his family—hospitalizations, school absences and parents missing work as a result.
“We have seen a decrease in missed work and school days across our population of 5500 patients,” says Fuglevand. “We saw a decrease in missed school days and hospitalization in high-risk patients. There was an increase in caregiver confidence because our parents became more confident in how they’re taking care of their children.” Thanks to this innovative program, there is now a state-wide registry of kids with asthma and their medical records. In an emergency, an ER doctor can immediately see what medications the child is taking and other crucial information that will assist in more prompt and accurate treatment. Kids’ doctors have new tools and resources to evaluate the severity of a kid’s asthma symptoms, standardize treatment with appropriate medications, make sure that kids with asthma get flu shots (an often ignored recommendation), and give parents a action plan for home treatment that complies with expert guidelines.
It’s a win-win for Alex, his parents and his doctors.
CONNECT THE DOTS
To learn more about asthma and managing the disease more effectively, click on these links.
American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
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