title: The CHOICE survey: high rates of persistent and uncontrolled asthma in the United States.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Surveys have consistently shown that many patients with asthma do not have their disease well controlled.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The CHOICE (Comprehensive Survey of Healthcare Professionals and Asthma Patients Offering Insight on Current Treatment Gaps and Emerging Device Options) survey was designed to evaluate the current status of inhalation devices used in asthma treatment, but questions also were included about asthma severity and control.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1,000 patients with asthma were interviewed about their use of inhalation devices and asthma-related burden, medication use, and hospital/emergency care. Based on the responses to these questions, asthma severity and control were categorized using methods established in the Expert Panel Report III (EPR 3).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Almost half (490) of the patients with asthma participating in the CHOICE survey were not using controller medications. Most of those not using controllers (79%) had persistent asthma; 47% had either mild or moderate persistent asthma. Of those on controllers (510), only 14.3% were well controlled. Acute care utilization was greater for patients with persistent asthma than those with intermittent asthma and for patients with not well and poorly controlled asthma than those with well-controlled asthma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CHOICE survey is particularly pertinent clinically, because it demonstrates for the first time, using EPR 3 methods, the current extent of poor asthma control in the United States. This situation falls far short of national asthma management targets.
authors.affiliation: Washington Hospital Center, Washington and The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20010, USA. Gene.Colice@Medstar.net
authors.forename: Gene L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Colice
authors.forename: Nancy K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Ostrom
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Geller
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Anolik
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blaiss
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marcus
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Nathan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents