Written action plan in pediatric emergency room improves asthma prescribing, adherence, and control.

RATIONALE: An acute-care visit for asthma often signals a management failure. Although a written action plan is effective when combined with self-management education and regular medical review, its independent value remains controversial. OBJECTIVES: We examined the efficacy of providing a written action plan coupled with a prescription (WAP-P) to improve adherence to medications and other recommendations in a busy emergency department. METHODS: We randomized 219 children aged 1-17 years to receive WAP-P (n = 109) or unformatted prescription (UP) (n = 110). All received fluticasone and albuterol inhalers, fitted with dose counters, to use at the discretion of the emergency physician. The main outcome was adherence to fluticasone (use/prescribed × 100%) over 28 days. Secondary outcomes included pharmacy dispensation of oral corticosteroids, ß(2)-agonist use, medical follow-up, asthma education, acute-care visits, and control. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Although both groups showed a similar drop in adherence in the initial 14 days, adherence to fluticasone was significantly higher over Days 15-28 in children receiving WAP-P (mean group difference, 16.13% [2.09, 29.91]). More WAP-P than UP patients filled their oral corticosteroid prescription (relative risk, 1.31 [1.07, 1.60]) and were well-controlled at 28 days (1.39 [1.04, 1.86]). Compared with UP, use of WAP-P increased physicians' prescription of maintenance fluticasone (2.47 [1.53, 3.99]) and recommendation for medical follow-up (1.87 [1.48, 2.35]), without group differences in other outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Provision of a written action plan significantly increased patient adherence to inhaled and oral corticosteroids and asthma control and physicians' recommendation for maintenance fluticasone and medical follow-up, supporting its independent value in the acute-care setting. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 00381355).

Preemptive use of high-dose fluticasone for virus-induced wheezing in young children.

BACKGROUND: Although virus-induced wheezing is common in preschool-age children, optimal management remains elusive. We examined the efficacy and safety of preemptive treatment with high-dose fluticasone in reducing the severity of recurrent virus-induced wheezing in children. METHODS: We randomly assigned 129 children who were 1 to 6 years of age to receive 750 microg of fluticasone propionate (ex-valve [manufacturer-measured] dose) or placebo twice daily, beginning at the onset of an upper respiratory tract infection and continuing for a maximum of 10 days, over a period of 6 to 12 months. The primary outcome was rescue oral corticosteroid use. Secondary outcomes included symptoms, use of beta(2)-agonists, acute care visits, hospitalizations, discontinuation of the study drug, change in growth and bone mineral density, basal cortisol level, and adverse events. RESULTS: Over a median period of 40 weeks, 8% of upper respiratory tract infections in the fluticasone group led to treatment with rescue systemic corticosteroids, as compared with 18% in the placebo group (odds ratio, 0.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.30 to 0.83). Children who were treated with fluticasone, as compared with those who were given placebo, had smaller mean (+/-SD) gains from baseline in height (6.23+/-2.62 cm [unadjusted value]; z score, -0.19 +/-0.42 vs. 6.56+/-2.90 cm [unadjusted value]; z score, 0.00+/-0.48; difference between groups in z score from baseline to end point, -0.24 [95% CI, -0.40 to -0.08]) and in weight (1.53+/-1.17 kg [unadjusted value]; z score, -0.15+/-0.48 vs. 2.17+/-1.79 kg [unadjusted value]; z score, 0.11+/-0.43; difference between groups in z score from baseline to end point, -0.26 [95% CI, -0.41 to -0.09]). There were no significant differences between the groups in basal cortisol level, bone mineral density, or adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: In preschool-age children with moderate-to-severe virus-induced wheezing, preemptive treatment with high-dose fluticasone as compared with placebo reduced the use of rescue oral corticosteroids. Treatment with fluticasone was associated with a smaller gain in height and weight. Given the potential for overuse, this preventive approach should not be adopted in clinical practice until long-term adverse effects are clarified. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00238927.)