Documentation of asthma severity in pediatric outpatient clinics.
National asthma guidelines recommend assessment and documentation of asthma severity at each clinic visit. A cross-sectional medical record review was conducted, which found that only 34% of records had any documentation of severity in the previous 2 years. However, severity documentation is associated with other indicators of quality care such as receipt of an action plan, spacer device, peak flow meter, asthma education, and influenza vaccination. These results suggest that use of a system for classifying asthma severity compels the physician to consider the long-term management of asthma, rather than just acute treatment of the disease. Interventions to improve physician practice should continue to emphasize severity assessment.
Cabana
Michael D
MD
Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Unit, Division of General Pediatrics, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0456, USA.
Bruckman
David
D
Meister
Kirsten
K
Bradley
Joel F
JF
Clark
Noreen
N
D000367:Age Factors; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001249:Asthma / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004282:Documentation / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors