Asthma is the most prevalent chronic condition affecting children and a common chief complaint in emergency departments (EDs). We aimed to improve parents' understanding of their child's asthma severity on accessing our pediatric ED for an acute asthma exacerbation. A retrospective chart review was conducted to determine outpatient follow-up rates from our ED in 2010-2011. In an attempt to educate parents at ED discharge about their child's asthma severity at presentation, we included a visual severity scale on their discharge instructions. Postdischarge telephone interviews were completed to determine postintervention follow-up rates. Asthma follow-up rates at 1 week improved from 20.8% to 50% after intervention. This difference was statistically significant after controlling for age and clinical asthma score with logistic regression (P < .0001). Offering predischarge education about a child's initial asthma severity is a simple intervention that significantly improved follow-up rates for children seen in the ED for asthma exacerbation.

The goal of asthma management during pregnancy is to keep the mother symptom free and to prevent complications in the fetus. Asthma is a common chronic condition in pregnancy that, if inadequately treated, has the potential to cause adverse effects for both mother and fetus. Aggressive treatment during pregnancy can decrease costs associated with asthma now and additional costs later if the fetus has a poor outcome due to maternal asthma. A stepwise approach to the management of asthma during pregnancy has been developed and is not unlike the management of the nonpregnant patient. Although there are no double-blind, placebo-controlled studies on asthma medications in pregnant women, large cohort studies have shown the efficacy of aggressive management. With adequate control of asthma from the preconception time through delivery, studies have shown similar outcomes in asthmatic patients compared with nonasthmatics, thus obtaining the goal of a symptom-free mother and a healthy baby.

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