Strategies for improving asthma outcomes: a case-based review of successes and pitfalls.
Several comprehensive community-based asthma management programs have been developed in recent years. Their central goal is to provide access to quality asthma care to achieve successful long-term disease management. The Kansas City Children's Asthma Management Program (KC CAMP) and the Asthma Network of West Michigan (ANWM) share many of the same objectives, which include educating patients, families, the community, and health care providers about asthma care, advocating on behalf of those who need care, and allocating resources to provide care. Education to promote behavioral changes in health care providers enrolled in KC CAMP was achieved through didactic sessions and was considered successful; provider and staff satisfaction increased, as did compliance with treatment guidelines. ANWM seeks to promote prevention rather than crisis care by providing home visits, physician care conferences to generate asthma management plans, and social workers to address psychosocial barriers to care. Funding from multiple resources is essential for maintaining the programs. In addition, staff work with corporate sponsors, governmental agencies, and individual donors to ensure the programs' success. The benefits of KC-CAMP and ANWM are evident with data showing dramatic declines in emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and overall health care costs for asthma care.
Williams
Dennis
D
Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina and UNC Hospitals Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. dwilliams@unc.edu
Portnoy
Jay M
JM
Meyerson
Karen
K
D001249:Asthma / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy*; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000191:economics; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D017048:Health Care Costs; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D007615:Kansas; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000191:economics; D008824:Michigan; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome