Primary Care Pathway for Childhood Asthma
Primary Care Pathway for Childhood Asthma
At least half of children with asthma have poor disease control, which can result in
 complications requiring emergency treatment and hospitalization. As asthma is one of the most
 common reasons for children to visit emergency departments (ED) and be hospitalized, this
 disease places a heavy burden on the health care system and families. While there is strong
 evidence that timely treatment with preventative therapies can substantially improve asthma
 control, reduce sudden worsening of symptoms, and lower rates of ED visits and
 hospitalizations, a significant proportion of children do not receive these therapies.

 The purpose of this study is to improve the prescription and use of evidenced-based
 preventative therapies for children with asthma with the goal to significantly improve their
 disease control and quality of life, while reducing unnecessary ED visits and
 hospitalizations. The investigators will achieve this by: i) installing a primary care
 clinical pathway for managing childhood asthma into clinicians' electronic medical record
 (EMR) to facilitate the use of best-evidence by practitioners, and ii) training chronic
 disease management (CDM) health professionals to provide targeted and timely asthma education
 to parents and children with asthma. The investigators will test this pathway and education
 project in a representative sample of 22 Alberta primary care practices, using a pragmatic
 cluster controlled trial methodology.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Validated diagnosis of asthma according to CPCSSN validated definition

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Children under 1 and over 17 years of age

 -  Children of parents who have opted out of CPCSSN data collection

 -  Children with validated asthma who have not attended practices in the last 2 years, or
 have not received bronchodilator therapy in the last 12 months