Barriers in asthma care for pediatric patients in primary care.

INTRODUCTION: There are many barriers to treating children with asthma. Barriers limit access with subsequent disturbances in quality outcomes. This study explored the difference in quality outcomes, utilization outcomes, parental knowledge, and barriers to care between children who had controlled versus uncontrolled asthma. METHOD: Data were analyzed between two intact groups of caregivers of children with asthma. Caregivers in both groups completed the Asthma Knowledge Test and the Asthma Barrier Questionnaire. RESULTS: Caregivers (n = 62) were primarily mothers (85.5%). Children with uncontrolled asthma missed 33.3% more days of school. The caregivers of the children with controlled asthma answered more questions on the Asthma Knowledge Test correctly and had a lower score on the Asthma Barrier Questionnaire. DISCUSSION: Asthma control is essential. By identifying barriers to care, health care providers can build an action care plan to individualize each patient's needs.

Profile of a primary care practice asthma program: improved patient outcomes in a high-risk population.

Asthma touches all of our lives. Asthma is a disease entity of huge proportions nationally and locally. It is the most common cause of school absences from a chronic disease and a common reason for parents and caregivers to miss work. The purpose of this article is to provide pediatric nurse practitioners with an understanding of the impact of asthma on children, their families, and on clinical practice. It will examine an asthma program created in a pediatric primary care setting to treat a high-risk population that proved very successful. The discussion of these issues incorporates results from a 2-year clinical project that focused on the reduction of asthma-related emergency department visits, asthma-related hospitalizations, and asthma-related missed school days.