Pathways for Improving Pediatric Asthma Care (PIPA)

Asthma affects nearly 10% of American children (1) and is a leading cause of pediatric emergency visits and hospitalizations.(2-4) Asthma is the leading cause of missed school days for chronic illness, which places tremendous burdens on families, and results in $3 billion of direct costs to the US healthcare system annually.(5) For decades, there have been efforts to improve asthma care by enhancing the use of evidence-based guidelines in clinical practice. However, significant barriers exist to providers integrating evidence-based guidelines into care. (6-8) Inconsistent adoption of evidence-based guidelines by providers contributes to variability in quality of care and outcomes for children cared for in emergency rooms or hospitalized for asthma (diagnostic testing, interventions, transfer to intensive care unit, hospital readmission, length of stay, and cost).(9-14) 

This project gave community hospitals the opportunity to provide children the same high-quality and evidence-based care available at other academic children’s hospitals. The project provided tools to help support health care providers in selecting and providing appropriate mediations, selecting appropriate tests, and effectively counseling families.