Assessing the burden of childhood asthma: validation of electronic versions of the Mini Pediatric and Pediatric Asthma Caregiver's Quality of Life Questionnaires.

PURPOSE: To validate electronic versions of the Mini Pediatric and Pediatric Asthma Caregiver's Quality of Life Questionnaires (MiniPAQLQ and PACQLQ, respectively), determine completion times and correlate QOL of children and caregivers. METHODS: A total of 63 children and 64 caregivers completed the paper and electronic MiniPAQLQ or PACQLQ. Agreement between versions of each questionnaire was summarized by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). The correlation between MiniPAQLQ and PACQLQ scores from child-caregiver pairs was assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: There was no significant difference (mean difference = 0.1, 95% CI -0.1, 0.2) in MiniPAQLQ Overall Scores between paper (5.9 ± 1.0, mean ± SD) and electronic (5.8 ± 1.0) versions, or any of the domains. ICCs ranged from 0.89 (Overall) to 0.86 (Emotional Function). Overall PACQLQ scores for both versions were comparable (5.9 ± 0.9 and 5.8 ± 1.0; mean difference = 0.0; 95% CI -0.1, 0.2). ICCs ranged from 0.81 (Activity Limitation) to 0.88 (Emotional Function). The electronic PACQLQ took 26 s longer (95% CI 11, 41; p < 0.001). Few participants (3-11%) preferred the paper format. MiniPAQLQ and PACQLQ scores were significantly correlated (all p < 0.05) for Overall (r paper = 0.33, r electronic = 0.27) and Emotional Function domains (r paper = 0.34, r electronic = 0.29). CONCLUSIONS: These electronic QOL questionnaires are valid, and asthma-related QOL of children and caregivers is related.

Development and implementation of an electronic asthma record for primary care: integrating guidelines into practice.

RATIONALE: Evidence-based practice may be enhanced by integrating knowledge translation tools into electronic medical records (EMRs). We examined the feasibility of incorporating an evidence-based asthma care map (ACM) into Primary Care (PC) EMRs, and reporting on performance indicators. METHODS: Clinicians and information technology experts selected 69 clinical and administrative variables from the ACM template. Four Ontario PC sites using EMRs were recruited to the study. Certified Asthma Educators used the electronic ACM for patient assessment and management. De-identified data from consecutive asthma patients were automatically transmitted to a secure central server for analysis. RESULTS: Of the four sites recruited, two sites using "stand-alone" EMR systems were able to incorporate the selected ACM variables into an electronic format and participate in the pilot. Data were received on 161 visits by 130 patients aged 36.5 ± 26.9 (mean ± SD) (range 2-93) years. Ninety-four percent (65/69) of the selected ACM variables could be analyzed. Reporting capabilities included: individual patient, individual site and aggregate reports. Reports illustrated the ability to measure performance (e.g. number of patients in control, proportion of asthma diagnoses confirmed by an objective measure of lung function), benchmark and use EMR data for disease surveillance (e.g. number of smokers and the individuals with suspected work-related asthma). CONCLUSIONS: Integration of this evidence-based ACM into different EMRs was successful and permitted patient outcomes monitoring. Standardized data definitions and terminology are essential in order for EMR data to be used for performance measurement, benchmarking and disease surveillance.

Comparison of asthma control criteria: importance of spirometry.

AIMS: To compare the measurements of asthma control using Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS) Asthma Management Consensus Summary and Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines composite indices with and without spirometry. METHODS: Asthma control parameters were extracted from electronic medical records (EMRs) of patients ≥6 years old at two primary care sites. Asthma control ratings calculated according to CTS and GINA criteria were compared. RESULTS: Data were available from 113 visits by 93 patients, aged 6-85 years (38.7 ± 24.8; mean ± SD). The proportion of visits at which individuals' asthma was completely controlled was 22.1% for CTS symptoms only and 9.7% for CTS with spirometry (p < .01); and 17.7% versus 14.1% for GINA symptoms only versus symptoms with spirometry (p = .125). CONCLUSIONS: Asthma control ratings using GINA and CTS criteria are discordant in more than half of the patients deemed "in control" by at least one scale. Differences in the spirometry criterion threshold are primarily responsible for this discordance. Failure to include spirometry as part of the control index consistently overestimates asthma control and may underestimate future risk of exacerbations.

Asthma care pathways in the emergency department.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to describe recent evidence of the efficacy and effectiveness of clinical pathways for the assessment and management of severe acute asthma in children and adults in the emergency department (ED). The review will highlight examples of successful knowledge translation initiatives and their ability to support adherence to Best Practice Guidelines. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies reveal that management of pediatric and adult asthma in the ED setting often differs from that which is recommended in clinical practice guidelines. Single and multicenter North American studies have consistently found care gaps. Barriers to adherence to evidence-based management guidelines are numerous. Care pathways are knowledge translation tools that provide a means of applying knowledge translation principles to overcome these barriers, integrate guidelines into practice and optimize patient outcomes. Evidence from a recent Ontario multicenter asthma clinical pathway initiative is highlighted, demonstrating increased adherence to certain aspects of ED care, improved patient recollection of teaching done in the ED and increased referral rates. These findings strengthen the evidence supporting the development and implementation of standardized evidence-based asthma clinical pathways. SUMMARY: Gaps between current and best practices persist for the management of asthma in children and adults in North American EDs. There is robust evidence in support of ED asthma clinical pathways to optimize asthma care and outcomes in this setting.