title: Review of the management of childhood asthma in Tasmania.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the supply of medications to children with asthma and parent-reported management of childhood asthma in Tasmania and highlight evidence-practice gaps for future interventions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participating pharmacies ran a software application that extracted data from dispensing records and helped to identify children with asthma. Parents of identified children were mailed a survey evaluating components of asthma management. Dispensing and survey data were analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 939 children from 23 pharmacies were identified by the software and deemed eligible for inclusion. Surveys were received from 353 (37.6%) parents. In the past year, short-acting beta-2 agonists were supplied to 56.1% of the cohort, preventers to 76.5% (inhaled corticosteroids 52.3%; leukotriene receptor antagonists 31.3%; inhaled cromones 0.6%), long-acting beta-2 agonists (LABAs) to 25.7% and oral corticosteroids to 21.5%. Approximately half of the children receiving inhaled corticosteroids were concurrently receiving a LABA. Among children with indicators of inadequately controlled asthma, up to 73.7% of their parents reported that their asthma was adequately controlled, up to 38.2% did not possess an Asthma Action Plan, up to 36.8% were not regularly using a spacer and up to 22.8% had not received a preventer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate gaps in childhood asthma management, in particular, undersupply of preventers in high-risk patient groups, high supply of LABAs and insufficient spacer and asthma action plan usage. These areas should be targeted for interventions to improve childhood asthma management.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Bonnie.Bereznicki@utas.edu.au
authors.forename: Bonnie J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Bereznicki
authors.forename: Lucy C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Norton
authors.forename: Sean A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Beggs
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gee
authors.forename: Luke R E
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Bereznicki
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003625:Data Collection; D057225:Data Mining; D006801:Humans; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers; D010594:Pharmacies; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods; D013648:Tasmania
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents
keywords: asthma; child; data mining; disease management; drug therapy; pharmacy