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Redmond C, Heaney LG, Chaudhuri R, Jackson DJ, Menzies-Gow A, Pfeffer P, Busby J. Benefits of specialist severe asthma management: demographic and geographic disparities. Eur Respir J 2022; 60:2200660. [PMID: 35777771 PMCID: PMC9753476 DOI: 10.1183/13993003.00660-2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The benefits of specialist assessment and management have yet to be evaluated within the biologic era of UK severe asthma treatment, and potential disparities have not been considered. METHODS In an uncontrolled before-and-after study, we compared asthma symptoms (Asthma Control Questionnaire-6 (ACQ-6)), exacerbations, unscheduled secondary care use, lung function (forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)) and oral corticosteroid (OCS) dose after 1 year. We compared outcomes by sex, age (18-34, 35-49, 50-64 and ≥65 years), ethnicity (Caucasian versus non-Caucasian) and hospital site after adjusting for demographics and variation in biologic therapy use. RESULTS 1140 patients were followed-up for 1370 person-years from 12 specialist centres. At annual review, ACQ-6 score was reduced by a median (interquartile range (IQR)) of 0.7 (0.0-1.5), exacerbations by 75% (33-100%) and unscheduled secondary care by 100% (67-100%). FEV1 increased by a median (IQR) of 20 (-200-340) mL, while OCS dose decreased for 67% of patients. Clinically meaningful improvements occurred across almost all patients, including those not receiving biologic therapy. There was little evidence of differences across demographic groups, although those aged ≥65 years demonstrated larger reductions in exacerbations (69% versus 52%; p<0.001) and unscheduled care use (77% versus 50%; p<0.001) compared with patients aged 18-34 years. There were >2-fold differences between the best and worst performing centres across all study outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Specialist assessment and management is associated with substantially improved patient outcomes, which are broadly consistent across demographic groups and are not restricted to those receiving biologic therapy. Significant variation exists between hospitals, which requires further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlene Redmond
- School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University, Belfast, UK
| | - Liam G Heaney
- School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University, Belfast, UK
- Belfast Health and Social Care NHS Trust, Belfast, UK
| | | | - David J Jackson
- Guy's Severe Asthma Centre, Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals, London, UK
- School of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | | | - John Busby
- School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University, Belfast, UK
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Molina MF, Okoniewski W, Puranik S, Aujla S, Celedón JC, Larkin A, Forno E. Severe asthma in children: Description of a large multidisciplinary clinical cohort. Pediatr Pulmonol 2022; 57:1447-1455. [PMID: 35261210 PMCID: PMC9119906 DOI: 10.1002/ppul.25887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children with severe asthma have substantial morbidity and healthcare utilization. Pediatric severe asthma is a heterogeneous disease, and a multidisciplinary approach can improve the diagnosis and management of these children. METHODS We reviewed the electronic health records for patients seen in the Severe Asthma Clinic (SAC) at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh between August 2012 and October 2019. RESULTS Of the 110 patients in whom we extracted data, 46% were female, 48% were Black/African American, and 41% had ≥1 admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for asthma. Compared to patients without a PICU admission, those with ≥1 PICU admission were more likely to be non-White (64.4% vs. 41.5%, p = 0.031) and more atopic (eosinophil count geometric mean = 673 vs. 319 cells/mm3 , p = 0.002; total IgE geometric mean = 754 vs. 303 KU/L, p = 0.003), and to have lower pre-bronchodilator FEV1 (58.6% [±18.1%] vs. 69.9% [±18.7%], p = 0.002) and elevated FeNO (60% vs. 22%, p = 0.02). In this cohort, 84% of patients were prescribed high-dose ICS/LABA and 36% were on biologics. Following enrollment in the SAC, severe exacerbations decreased from 3.2/year to 2.2/year (p < 0.0001); compared to the year before joining the SAC, in the following year the group had 106 fewer severe exacerbations. CONCLUSIONS This large cohort of children with severe asthma had a high level of morbidity and healthcare utilization. Patients with a history of PICU admissions for asthma were more likely to be nonwhite and highly atopic, and to have lower lung function. Our data support a positive impact of a multidisciplinary clinic on patients with severe childhood asthma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Forero Molina
- Division of Allergy and Immunology and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - William Okoniewski
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Sandeep Puranik
- Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
| | - Shean Aujla
- Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
| | - Juan C. Celedón
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- Pediatric Asthma Center, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Allyson Larkin
- Division of Allergy and Immunology and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Pediatric Asthma Center, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Erick Forno
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- Pediatric Asthma Center, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
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Robinson PD, Jayasuriya G, Haggie S, Uluer AZ, Gaffin JM, Fleming L. Issues affecting young people with asthma through the transition period to adult care. Paediatr Respir Rev 2022; 41:30-39. [PMID: 34686436 DOI: 10.1016/j.prrv.2021.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Asthma is among the most common medical conditions affecting children and young people, with adolescence a recognised period of increased risk, overrepresented in analyses examining recent increasing asthma mortality rates. Asthma may change significantly during this period and management also occurs in the context of patients seeking increased autonomy and self-governance whilst navigating increasing academic and social demands. A number of disease factors can destabilise asthma during adolescence including: increased rates of anaphylaxis, anxiety, depression, obesity, and, in females, an emerging resistance to corticosteroids and the pro-inflammatory effects of oestrogen. Patient factors such as smoking, vaping, poor symptom recognition, treatment non-adherence and variable engagement with health services contribute to difficult to treat asthma. Significant deficiencies in the current approach to transition have been identified by a recent EAACI task force, and subsequent asthma-specific recommendations, published in 2020 provide an important framework moving forward. As with other chronic conditions, effective transition programmes plan ahead, engage with adolescents and their families to identify the patients' management priorities and the current challenges they are experiencing with treatment. Transition needs may vary significantly across asthma patients and for more complex asthma may include dedicated transition clinics involving multidisciplinary care requiring input including, amongst others, allergy and immunology, psychological medicine, respiratory physicians and scientists and nurse specialists. Across different global regions, barriers to treatment may vary but need to be elicited and an individualised approach taken to optimising asthma care which is sustainable within the local adult healthcare system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul D Robinson
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia; Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Australia.
| | - Geshani Jayasuriya
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia; Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Australia; Dept of Adolescent Medicine, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia
| | - Stuart Haggie
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital, Nowra, Australia
| | - Ahmet Z Uluer
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jonathan M Gaffin
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Louise Fleming
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London UK; Respiratory Paediatrics, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK
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Sánchez-García S, Ruiz-Hornillos J, Escudero C. Pediatric Asthma Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of a National Survey. PEDIATRIC ALLERGY, IMMUNOLOGY, AND PULMONOLOGY 2020; 33:199-203. [PMID: 35921568 PMCID: PMC9353999 DOI: 10.1089/ped.2020.1250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic specialists were concerned about how to achieve the best control of pediatric asthmatic patients. Methods: A national survey was performed. Analysis of the mean of follow-up, complementary tests, health system (public/private/both), availability of severe asthma units, and geographic location (cities with high COVID-19 prevalence vs. other cities with low prevalence). Differences were analyzed using contingency tables and Pearson's chi-squared test. Results: We obtained 95 responses, mostly from cities with a high disease prevalence (39; 52%). Only 29 (38.6%) of respondents provided care in a severe asthma unit. Severe asthmatic children were followed up mainly by telephone (68; 90.7%) and by in-person visits (32; 42.7%). Face-to-face care was less frequent in cities with a high prevalence of COVID-19 when compared with smaller cities (P = 0.044). Some of the surveyed physicians had discontinued patient follow-up as they were caring for patients with COVID-19 (7; 9.3%). Of all specialists surveyed, 45.3% did not evaluate severe asthmatic children with any means of testing. Pulmonary function tests were scarcely implemented. Blood tests were the most common test performed (45.3%). Specialists working in a severe asthma unit carried out more pulmonary function tests (P = 0.019). Peculiarly, moderate persistent asthmatics underwent more spirometries in cities with a high prevalence rate (P = 0.03). Follow-up of asthmatic children during the pandemic was perceived to be reduced or altogether inexistent by 42.7% of respondents when compared with a similar season outside of this emergency situation. Remarkably, the perception that better management of asthma was delivered during the pandemic by those working in cities with a high prevalence of COVID-19 versus other regions. Conclusions: Pediatric asthma control is crucial to decrease the future risk presented by the condition. New technologies and severe asthma units may become key tools in global health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Sánchez-García
- Allergy Department, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús and ARADyAL-RETICs Network, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Ruiz-Hornillos
- Allergy Department, Hospital Infanta Elena, Valdemoro, Spain
- Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid, Spain
- Health Research Institute-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital (IIS-FJD), Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmelo Escudero
- Allergy Department, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús and ARADyAL-RETICs Network, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
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Kenyon CC, Strane D, Floyd GC, Jacobi EG, Penrose TJ, Ewig JM, DaVeiga SP, Zorc JJ, Rubin DM, Bryant-Stephens TC. An Asthma Population Health Improvement Initiative for Children With Frequent Hospitalizations. Pediatrics 2020; 146:peds.2019-3108. [PMID: 33004429 PMCID: PMC8609917 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2019-3108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES A relatively small proportion of children with asthma account for an outsized proportion of health care use. Our goal was to use quality improvement methodology to reduce repeat emergency department (ED) and inpatient care for patients with frequent asthma-related hospitalization. METHODS Children ages 2 to 17 with ≥3 asthma-related hospitalizations in the previous year who received primary care at 3 in-network clinics were eligible to receive a bundle of 4 services including (1) a high-risk asthma screener and tailored education, (2) referral to a clinic-based asthma community health worker program, (3) facilitated discharge medication filling, and (4) expedited follow-up with an allergy or pulmonology specialist. Statistical process control charts were used to estimate the impact of the intervention on monthly 30-day revisits to the ED or hospital. We then conducted a difference-in-differences analysis to compare changes between those receiving the intervention and a contemporaneous comparison group. RESULTS From May 1, 2016, to April 30, 2017, we enrolled 79 patients in the intervention, and 128 patients constituted the control group. Among the eligible population, the average monthly proportion of children experiencing a revisit to the ED and hospital within 30 days declined by 38%, from a historical baseline of 24% to 15%. Difference-in-differences analysis demonstrated 11.0 fewer 30-day revisits per 100 patients per month among intervention recipients relative to controls (95% confidence interval: -20.2 to -1.8; P = .02). CONCLUSIONS A multidisciplinary quality improvement intervention reduced health care use in a high-risk asthma population, which was confirmed by using quasi-experimental methodology. In this study, we provide a framework to analyze broader interventions targeted to frequently hospitalized populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chén C. Kenyon
- PolicyLab, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA,Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA,Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Douglas Strane
- PolicyLab, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - G. Chandler Floyd
- PolicyLab, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ethan G. Jacobi
- Office of Clinical Quality Improvement, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadephia, PA USA
| | - Tina J. Penrose
- Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jeffrey M. Ewig
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Sigrid Payne DaVeiga
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Joseph J. Zorc
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA,Emergency Department, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - David M. Rubin
- PolicyLab, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA,Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA,Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Tyra C. Bryant-Stephens
- PolicyLab, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA,Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA,Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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