Public health perspective of the psychosocial dimensions of paediatric asthma care during crises.

BackgroundThe period after a child is discharged from hospital is generally described as challenging for the parents. Their satisfaction with the health services received is an important indicator of the quality of care. eHealth devices are increasingly used in health care to support communication with parents. Differences in levels of parental satisfaction by modality of provided care or by parental background are largely unknown. This study aimed to describe satisfaction with health care between sociodemographic groups of parents, who either received or did not receive an eHealth device for communication between parents and hospital staff as a supplement to routine care after a child’s discharge from neonatal or paediatric surgery departments.MethodsData from a quasi-experimental study was collected in the south of Sweden, between 2019 and 2021. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ (PedsQL) Healthcare Satisfaction Generic Module was used to assess the parents’ satisfaction with different dimensions of health care. Seventy parents of children hospitalized in a neonatal or a paediatric surgery department were enrolled in intervention (eHealth device, n = 36) and control (no eHealth device, n = 34) groups.ResultsThe parents reported high overall satisfaction with the health care provided and were also highly satisfied within different dimensions of care. Moreover, they reported high satisfaction with using an eHealth device, although having support from the eHealth device was related to neither higher nor lower levels of satisfaction with care. There was a significant difference between fathers and mothers in the multivariate sub-analysis in certain instances regarding satisfaction with communication and the level of inclusion.ConclusionsParents were very satisfied with the health care provided, whether or not they received eHealth. Further research looking at groups with and without the support of an eHealth device is required to further develop future paediatric and neonatal care interventions. Communication and support through eHealth can be a tool to alleviate the distress parents experience after their child’s hospital admission, accommodate the family’s transfer to home, and increase satisfaction with care, but it needs to be evaluated before being implemented.Trial registrationClinical Trials NCT04150120, first registration 4/11/2019.

To describe pediatric severe asthma care, complications, and outcomes to plan for future prospective studies by the Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network. Retrospective cohort study. : Pediatric intensive care units in the United States that submit administrative data to the Pediatric Health Information System. Children 1-18 yrs old treated in a Pediatric Health Information System pediatric intensive care unit for asthma during 2004-2008. None. Thirteen-thousand five-hundred fifty-two children were studied; 2,812 (21%) were treated in a Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network and 10,740 (79%) were treated in a non-Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network pediatric intensive care unit. Medication use in individual Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network centers differed widely: ipratropium bromide (41%-84%), terbutaline (11%-74%), magnesium sulfate (23%-64%), and methylxanthines (0%-46%). Complications including pneumothorax (0%-0.6%), cardiac arrest (0.2%-2%), and aspiration (0.2%-2%) were rare. Overall use of medical therapies and complications at Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network centers were representative of pediatric asthma care at non-Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network pediatric intensive care units. Median length of pediatric intensive care unit stay at Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network centers was 1 to 2 days and death was rare (0.1%-3%). Ten percent of children treated at Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network centers received invasive mechanical ventilation compared to 12% at non-Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network centers. Overall 44% of patients who received invasive mechanical ventilation were intubated in the pediatric intensive care unit. Children intubated outside the pediatric intensive care unit had significantly shorter median ventilation days (1 vs. 3), pediatric intensive care unit days (2 vs. 4), and hospital days (4 vs. 7) compared to those intubated in the pediatric intensive care unit. Among children who received mechanical respiratory support, significantly more (41% vs. 25%) were treated with noninvasive ventilation and significantly fewer (41% vs. 58%) were intubated before pediatric intensive care unit care when treated in a Pediatric Health Information System hospital emergency department. Marked variations in medication therapies and mechanical support exist. Death and other complications were rare. More than half of patients treated with mechanical ventilation were intubated before pediatric intensive care unit care. Site of respiratory mechanical support initiation was associated with length of stay.

The authors surveyed 997 elderly people living in the community and found that the rate of significant dysphoric symptomatology was 14.7%. Forty-five (4.5%) of these individuals suffered from dysphoric symptoms only, and 37 (3.7%) had symptoms of a major depressive disorder. Eighteen (1.8%) suffered from symptoms of primary depressive disorder and 19 (1.9%) from symptoms of secondary depressive disorder. Sixty-five (6.5%) had depressive symptoms associated with impaired physical health. The frequency of widowhood, impairment in social resources, and impairment in economic resources was greater for individuals with symptoms of a major depressive disorder. The entire sample used psychiatric services at a very low rate.

Using Cost Conversations to Address Financial Toxicity in Pediatric Asthma Care: Findings From a Survey of Caregivers

Introduction: A national review of asthma deaths found that asthma management and care was inadequate in 26% of cases reviewed. The Asthma Audit Development Project was established to develop and test audit methods and datasets for a National Asthma Audit to address shortfalls in asthma care. Methods: A multidisciplinary group of experts, including asthma patients, was formed and used as a source of governance and guidance. A review of asthma literature and guidelines was undertaken to identify areas of poor and variable asthma care which, if improved, could lead to better patient outcomes. Areas identified were mapped to specific guidelines and standards to develop datasets covering adult and paediatric care and organisation. Dataset development also comprised: expert review public consultation to seek broad stakeholder opinion a focus group to seek views and feedback on what areas of asthma care were important to asthma patients and carers. Datasets were tested within a clinical setting by adult and paediatric hospitals in England and Wales. Participating hospitals were asked to comment and feedback on the practicalities of collecting the information needed. Results: Feedback and patient views were used to inform and develop five datasets covering adult and paediatric asthma care. Datasets were designed for continuous clinical audit, with a snapshot organisational audit component. Hospitals testing confirmed that the necessary information could be collected and the data collection process could be incorporated into existing hospital processes. Conclusion: This describes the approach followed and the activities undertaken to develop hospital datasets for a National Asthma Audit.

To determine whether US emergency department care for pediatric asthma conforms to the National Institutes of Health guidelines and whether the guidelines are likely to be adopted in clinical practice. Mail survey conducted from January to April 1992, and stratified by hospital type (children's, public and community). Emergency departments of US hospitals. Simple stratified random sample of emergency department directors from 376 sampled hospitals. Self-reported data on emergency department pediatric asthma care, and knowledge and attitudes about the National Institutes of Health guidelines. Data are reported as mean (+/- SE). Sixty-eight percent of the surveyed emergency department directors responded. During 1991, there were an estimated 1.6 million visits for pediatric asthma care. Asthma accounted for 16.9% (+/- 9.0%) of all pediatric emergency department visits. Only 2.1% (+/- 1.0%) reported the use of written protocols or guidelines, with significant variation by hospital type. Sixty-seven percent (+/- 3.0%) reported the use of pulse oximetry. Eighty percent reported the use of beta-agonists by inhalation as the initial treatment. Only 44.7% (+/- 2.9%) reported the use of steroids if there was a poor response to the initial treatment. An estimated 45.5% (+/- 3.9%) of respondents had heard of the guidelines at the time of this survey; approximately 24% reported that they had read the guidelines. Most respondents reported that the guidelines were credible, clear and concise, and likely to be adopted in their emergency department. These data suggest that reported pediatric asthma care in US emergency departments differs substantially from the National Institutes of Health guidelines, with considerable variation by hospital type. The guidelines appear to provide an acceptable tool for emergency departments to use in assessing their pediatric asthma care. However, in light of the lack of evidence that the guidelines will improve outcomes, the impact of national guideline adoption remains unclear.

BackgroundChildhood asthma is common and associated with extensive racial, ethnic and socioeconomic healthcare inequities and health disparities. Approximately 50% of children with asthma are insured by Medicaid in the U.S. and states have increasingly implemented Accountable Care Organization (ACO) models in their Medicaid programs, but little is known about the effects of ACOs on pediatric asthma quality of care, utilization, and disparities. Seventeen new ACOs were implemented in Massachusetts in 2018. Delivery System Reform Incentive Payments were provided to ACOs that could be used to improve outcomes for chronic diseases, such as asthma, through quality measures, enhanced care coordination, and community health worker staffing. This qualitative study explored caregiver experiences with pediatric asthma care for their Medicaid-insured child following ACO implementation in Massachusetts.MethodsSemi-structured virtual interviews were conducted with caregivers of Medicaid-insured children with asthma in Massachusetts between July 1-December 31, 2023. Purposive sampling aimed to include a range of participant and practice characteristics. The overarching theoretical framework was an adaptation of the Framework of Asthma Disparities, and data were analyzed using rapid qualitative analytic methods.ResultsOf the 26 participants, 96% were female; 23% identified as Black and 39% as Hispanic. Key themes included: (1) Perceived lack of changes in asthma care related to Medicaid ACO implementation; (2) Insurance coverage influences on asthma care; (3) Perceptions of asthma management in primary care; (4) Perceptions of asthma specialist care; (5) Influence of health related social needs on pediatric asthma care and outcomes; and (6) Suggestions for improving pediatric asthma care in Medicaid ACOs. Continuity of care, communication, and asthma education were prominent subthemes.ConclusionsMedicaid ACOs efforts to transform care delivery through increased resources and improved infrastructure for care coordination and other aspects of care may not have had a substantial influence on asthma care for children in early years of implementation, addressing a gap in knowledge about mixed-age ACOs' effects on pediatric populations. Participants' perceptions of the importance of care continuity, specialty access, and education may warrant further exploration in general and in the context of Medicaid ACO effects on asthma care for children at high risk for asthma disparities.

Objective: To verify user satisfaction with the public oral health services in its different dimensions of care and relate them to the socioeconomic and demographic conditions. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional survey, developed with users interviewed of the public oral health services under the Primary Health Care of a Brazilian city (n=461). The associations of satisfaction with the socioeconomic and demographic conditions were analyzed using the chi-square test. Questions concerning satisfaction with the service were grouped into five domains - 'physical structure', 'relation and communication', 'information and support', 'health care' and 'organization of services' - analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis Test . Results: Elderly individuals with low education and male, tended to be more satisfied with the services. The users reported being satisfied with the service, that were unhappy, referred to the time and the form to schedule a consultation, the time expected to be attended and the resolving capacity of oral health problems, as the causes. The overall satisfaction index was 0.8. The top rated domains were 'physical structure' (0.9) and 'relation and communication' (0.85). The 'service organization' domain received the worst evaluation (0.71) and when compared to the others domain presenting a significant difference. The 'physical structure' domain was significantly highlighted from the domains of 'oral health care' (0.78) and 'information and support' (0.78). The 'relation and communication' domain, also significantly excelled over the areas of 'oral health care'. Conclusion: The users rated the aspects of health care in a very positive way. The areas of highest user satisfaction were 'physical structure' and 'relation and communication'. However, the need for directing production processes in health became evident, especially regarding the organization of services, the domain with the worst rating.

Searching for the best of primary care.

The quality of healthcare for pediatric asthma patients in the emergency department (ED) is of growing importance. This systematic review aimed to identify and describe existing quality indicators (QIs) designed for use in the ED for pediatric asthma care. We systematically searched three main electronic databases in May 2023 for all English-language qualitative and quantitative publications that suggested or described at least one QI related to pediatric asthma care in the ED. Two reviewers independently selected the included studies and extracted data on study characteristics, all relevant QIs reported, and the rates of compliance with these indicators when available. The identified QIs were classified according to Donabedian healthcare quality framework and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) framework. When feasible, we aggregated the compliance rates for the QIs reported in observational studies using random effects models. The quality assessment of the included studies was performed using various Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) tools. We identified twenty studies, including six expert panels, 13 observational studies, and one trial. Together, these studies presented 129 QIs for use in EDs managing pediatric asthma. Among these QIs, 66 were pinpointed by expert panel studies, whereas 63 were derived from observational studies. Within the Donabedian framework, most indicators (86.8%) concentrated on the process of care. In contrast, within the Institute of Medicine (IOM) domain, the predominant focus was on indicators related to effectiveness and safety. Observational studies reported varying compliance rates for the 36 QIs identified in the expert studies. The included studies showed a wide range of bias risks, suggesting potential methodological variances. A significant number of QIs in pediatric asthma care have been proposed or documented in literature. Although most of these indicators prioritize the process of care, there is a conspicuous absence of outcome and structure indicators. This meta-analysis uncovered significant disparities in compliance to the identified QIs, highlighting the urgent necessity for targeted interventions to enhance pediatric asthma care in ED.

BackgroundEarly detection of loss of asthma control can effectively reduce the burden of the disease. However, broad implementation in clinical practice has not been accomplished so far. We are in need of research investigating the operationalization of eHealth pediatric asthma care in practice, which can provide the most potential benefits in terms of adoption, efficiency, and effectiveness.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the technical and clinical feasibility, including an exploration of the efficacy and cost-efficiency, of an eHealth program implemented in daily clinical pediatric asthma practice.MethodsWe designed an eHealth-supported pediatric asthma program facilitating early detection of loss of asthma control while increasing symptom awareness and self-management. In the 6-month program, asthma control was monitored by 4 health care professionals (HCPs) by using objective home measurements and the web-based Puffer app to allow timely medical anticipation and prevent treatment delay. Technical feasibility was assessed by technology use, system usability, and technology acceptance. Clinical feasibility was assessed by participation and patient-reported health and care outcomes and via a focus group with HCPs regarding their experiences of implementing eHealth in daily practice. The efficacy and cost-efficiency were explored by comparing pretest-posttest program differences in asthma outcomes (asthma control, lung function, and therapy adherence) and medical consumption.ResultsOf 41 children, 35 children with moderate-to-severe asthma volunteered for participation. With regard to technical feasibility, the Puffer app scored a good usability score of 78 on the System Usability Scale and a score of 70 for technology acceptance on a scale of 1 to 100. Approximately 75% (18/24) of the children indicated that eHealth helped them to control their asthma during the program. HCPs indicated that home measurements and real time communication enabled them to make safe and substantiated medical decisions during symptom manifestations. With an average time commitment of 15 minutes by patients, eHealth care led to a 80% gross reduction (from €71,784 to €14,018, US $1=€0.85) in health care utilization, 8.6% increase (from 18.6 to 20.2, P=.40) in asthma control, 25.0% increase (from 2.8 to 3.5, P=.04) in the self-management level, and 20.4% improved (from 71.2 to 76.8, P=.02) therapy adherence.ConclusionseHealth asthma care seems to be technically and clinically feasible, enables safe remote care, and seems to be beneficial for pediatric asthma care in terms of health outcomes and health care utilization. Follow-up research should focus on targeted effectiveness studies with the lessons learned, while also enabling individualization of eHealth for personalized health care.

Pediatric Asthma in the Community Emergency Department: Room for Improvement and Aligned Incentives

We conducted a comprehensive assessment of guideline adherence in paediatric asthma care, including inpatient and ambulatory services, in Australia. National and international clinical practice guidelines (CPG) relating to asthma in children were searched and 39 medical record audit indicator questions were developed. Retrospective medical record review was conducted across hospital inpatient admissions, emergency department (ED) presentations, general practice (GP) and paediatrician consultations in three Australian states for children aged ≤15 years receiving care in 2012 and 2013. Eligibility of, and adherence to, indicators was assessed from medical records by nine experienced and purpose-trained paediatric nurses (surveyors). Surveyors conducted 18 453 asthma indicator assessments across 1600 visits for 881 children in 129 locations. Overall, the adherence for asthma care across the 39 indicators was 58.1%, with 54.4% adherence at GP (95% CI: 46.0-62.5), 77.7% by paediatricians (95% CI: 40.5-97.0), 79.9% in ED (95% CI: 70.6-87.3) and 85.1% for inpatient care (95% CI: 76.7-91.5). For 14 acute asthma indicators, overall adherence was 56.3% (95% CI: 47.6-64.7). Lowest adherences were for recording all four types of vital signs in children aged >2 years presenting with asthma attack (15.1%, 95% CI: 8.7-23.7), and reviewing patients' compliance, inhaler technique and triggers prior to commencing a new drug therapy (20.5%, 95% CI: 10.1-34.8). The study demonstrated differences between existing care and CPG recommendations for paediatric asthma care in Australia. Evidence-based interventions to improve adherence to CPG may help to standardize quality of paediatric asthma care and reduce variation of care.

The perpetual search for ways to improve pediatric health care quality has resulted in a multitude of assessments and strategies; however, there is little research evidence as to their conditions for maximum effectiveness. A major reason for the lack of evaluation research and successful quality improvement initiatives is the methodological challenge of measuring quality from the parent perspective. Comparison of performance-only and importance-performance models was done to determine the better predictor of pediatric health care quality and more successful method for improving the quality of care provided to children. Fourteen pediatric health care centers serving approximately 250,000 patients in 70,000 households in three West Central Florida counties were studied. A cross-sectional design was used to determine the importance and performance of 50 pediatric health care attributes and four global assessments of pediatric health care quality. Exploratory factor analysis revealed five dimensions of care (physician care, access, customer service, timeliness of services, and health care facility). Hierarchical multiple regression compared the performance-only and the importance-performance models. In-depth interviews, participant observations, and a direct cognitive structural analysis identified 50 health care attributes included in a mailed survey to parents(n = 1,030). The tailored design method guided survey development and data collection. The importance-performance multiplicative additive model was a better predictor of pediatric health care quality. Attribute importance moderates performance and quality, making the importance-performance model superior for measuring and providing a deeper understanding of pediatric health care quality and a better method for improving the quality of care provided to children. Regardless of attribute performance, if the level of attribute importance is not taken into consideration, health care organizations may spend valuable resources targeting the wrong areas for improvement. Consequently, this finding aids in health care quality research and policy decisions on organizational improvement strategies.

Parents' perspectives on cost conversations in pediatric asthma care: Findings from a qualitative interview study.