Regional paediatric asthma centre: An intervention model

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary paediatric asthma clinic in reducing the morbidity associated with paediatric asthma. METHODS: An initial survey of need was undertaken in the community of Orillia, Ontario and the surrounding area. The clinic was established as a separate entity from the adult model. The multidisciplinary nature of the clinic was a priority. The effectiveness of the clinic was assessed with patient/parent reports and objectively analyzed by assessing the frequency of asthma visits to the emergency room and hospital admissions. RESULTS: Comparison was undertaken between the first year and third year of clinic operation. The number of paediatric asthma visits to the emergency room was reduced by 20%. The number of paediatric asthma inpatient visits was reduced by 12%. At the same time, the number of paediatric asthma visits to the asthma clinic increased by 200%. CONCLUSIONS: This multidiscipline paediatric asthma clinic model is community friendly and reduces the morbidity of asthma as evidenced by declining visits to the emergency room.

Severe asthma in children: Description of a large multidisciplinary clinical cohort

“…Multidisciplinary asthma clinics have been shown to reduce visits to the emergency room, decrease hospitalizations, and improve asthma severity and quality of life. 8,9,11,12 We are currently working to create spaces where families and patients can meet, receive education, share their experiences, and provide peer support and empowerment. Thus far, we have had three virtual support group sessions that have been well attended.…”

“…4,5 Multidisciplinary care for complex medical issues has been well described in the pain literature 6 but has yet to be widely adopted for severe childhood asthma despite some supportive findings. [7][8][9][10][11][12] A multidisciplinary clinic provides a standardized approach for the management of children with severe asthma, as recommended by current guidelines. 1,7,13 To better understand and care for our pediatric patients with difficult-to-treat and severe asthma, we created a multidisciplinary Severe Asthma Clinic (SAC) by bringing together an Allergist and a Pediatric Pulmonologist.…”

Tackling paediatric asthma – The time has come

“…Paediatric patients also have unique needs, in that a family-centred and developmentally appropriate approach needs to be taken with asthma education. A recent article in Paediatrics & Child Health by Smith et al (12) demonstrated how a regional paediatric asthma education clinic can be set up successfully in a community hospital setting. This is no small task, and the authors should be congratulated for their hard work.…”

“…Canadian data suggest that we have an unmet need for asthma education programs (12). Families with children with asthma have unique needs that make them different from adults with asthma.…”

“…Families with children with asthma have unique needs that make them different from adults with asthma. Paediatricians must rise to the task to meet these needs with unique models of care as exemplified by Smith et al (12).…”