Pediatric Asthma Hospitalizations Research Articles

Suppressed pediatric asthma hospitalizations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, from a national survey.

Acute asthma exacerbation in children is often caused by respiratory infections. In this study, a coordinated national surveillance system for acute asthma hospitalizations and causative respiratory infections was established. We herein report recent trends in pediatric acute asthma hospitalizations since the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Thirty-three sentinel hospitals in Japan registered all of their hospitalized pediatric asthma patients and their causal pathogens. The changes in acute asthma hospitalization in children before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and whether or not COVID-19 caused acute asthma exacerbation were investigated. From fiscal years 2010-2019, the median number of acute asthma hospitalizations per year was 3524 (2462-4570), but in fiscal years 2020, 2021, and 2022, the numbers were 820, 1,001, and 1,026, respectively (the fiscal year in Japan is April to March). This decrease was observed in all age groups with the exception of the 3- to 6-year group. SARS-CoV-2 was evaluated in 2094 patients from fiscal years 2020-2022, but the first positive case was not detected until February 2022. Since then, only 36 of them have been identified with SARS-CoV-2, none of which required mechanical ventilation. Influenza, RS virus, and human metapneumovirus infections also decreased in FY 2020. In contrast, 24% of patients had not been receiving long-term control medications before admission despite the severity of bronchial asthma. SARS-CoV-2 was hardly detected in children with acute asthma hospitalization during the COVID-19 pandemic. This result indicated that SARS-CoV-2 did not induce acute asthma exacerbation in children. Rather, infection control measures implemented against the pandemic may have consequently reduced other respiratory virus infections and thus acute asthma hospitalizations during this period. However, the fact that many hospitalized patients have not been receiving appropriate long-term control medications is a major problem that should be addressed.

The prevalence of pediatric asthma hospitalizations at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis study protocol.

Asthma is a highly prevalent chronic inflammatory lung disease and is a frequent cause of hospitalization in children. The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced several challenges that have impacted the delivery of care for vulnerable patients, including asthmatic children. Asthmatic children without immediate access to healthcare services can face severe and fatal consequences. Furthermore, various governmental restrictions and viral mutants have been introduced throughout the pandemic, affecting COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates. To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence of asthma hospitalizations during various stages of the pandemic. We also aim to compare asthma hospital admissions during the pandemic to pre-pandemic periods. The databases PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane library will be used to identify relevant articles between the start of the pandemic and the date of the search strategy. Studies will be included if they examine hospital admissions for pediatric (0 to 18 years) asthma patients, regardless of asthma severity, sex, ethnicity or race. Observational retrospective cohort, prospective cohort, and cross-sectional studies will be included. A meta-analysis will be conducted if there are ≥2 articles. Else, a narrative review will be used to report our results. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022337606.

Commentary: Impact of integrated care coordination on pediatric asthma hospital presentations.

GENERAL COMMENTARY article Front. Pediatr., 30 May 2023Sec. Pediatric Pulmonology Volume 11 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2023.1202602

Grass pollen exposure is associated with higher readmission rates for pediatric asthma.

Pediatric asthma hospital readmission is a burden on the individual and costly for Australian hospitals. Grass pollen's role, a known trigger for asthma admissions, is unexamined in readmissions. We examined the association between grass pollen and pediatric asthma readmission. The Victorian Admitted Episodes Dataset was used to identify all primary admissions with a principal diagnosis of asthma in children aged 2-18 years between 1997 and 2009. Readmissions were defined as subsequent admissions within 28 days of index admission discharge. Generalized additive models were used to assess associations between readmission, grass pollen season, and daily grass pollen counts, lagged and cumulative. Models were further stratified by sex and age group. Mean daily readmission was higher during grass pollen season than other times of the year, incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.44 (95% CI, 1.03, 2.02) and for children aged 2-5 years, IRR 1.99 (1.26, 3.14). Same day grass pollen was nonlinearly associated with daily readmission for the 13-18 age group between 110 and 256 grains/m3 , p < .01. Lag 2 grass pollen was nonlinearly associated with daily readmissions overall (p=.03), boys (p=.01), and younger age groups 2-5 (p=.02) and 6-12 (p < .001). Grass pollen exposure was associated with higher readmission rates for pediatric asthma. Treatment plans prior to discharge could be implemented to reduce the likelihood of readmission by younger children during the pollen season.

Asthma Hospital Admission and Readmission Spikes, Advancing Accurate Classification to Advance Understanding of Causes.

Background: An important component of asthma care is understanding potential causes of high asthma admissions (HAADs) or readmissions (HARDs) with potential of risk mitigation. Crucial to this research is accurately distinguishing these events from background seasonal changes and time trends. To date, classification methods have been based on ad hoc and untested definitions which may hamper understanding causes of HAADs and HARDs due to misclassification. The aim of this article is to introduce an easily applied robust statistical approach, with high classification accuracy in other settings—the Seasonal Hybrid Extreme Studentized Deviate (S-H-ESD) method. Methods: We demonstrate S-H-ESD on a time series between 1996 and 2009 of all daily paediatric asthma hospital admissions in Victoria, Australia. Results: S-H-ESD clearly identified HAADs and HARDs without applying ad hoc classification definitions, while appropriately accounting for seasonality and time trend. Importantly, it was done with statistical testing, providing evidence in support of their identification. Conclusion: S-H-ESD is useful and statistically appropriate for accurate classification of HAADs and HARDS. It obviates ad hoc approaches and presents as a means of systemizing their accurate classification and detection. This will strengthen synthesis and efficacy of research toward understanding causes of HAADs and HARDs for their risk mitigation.

Impact of integrated care coordination on pediatric asthma hospital presentations.

IntroductionFrequent asthma attacks in children result in unscheduled hospital presentations. Patient centered care coordination can reduce asthma hospital presentations. In 2016, The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network launched the Asthma Follow up Integrated Care Initiative with the aim to reduce pediatric asthma emergency department (ED) presentations by 50% through developing and testing an integrated model of care led by care coordinators (CCs).MethodsThe integrated model of care was developed by a multidisciplinary team at Sydney Children's Hospital Randwick (SCH,R) and implemented in two phases: Phase I and Phase II. Children aged 2–16 years who presented ≥4 times to the ED of the SCH,R in the preceding 12 months were enrolled in Phase I and those who had ≥4 ED presentations and ≥1 hospital admissions with asthma attack were enrolled in Phase II. Phase I included a suite of interventions delivered by CCs including encouraging parents/carers to schedule follow-up visits with GP post-discharge, ensuring parents/carers are provided with standard asthma resource pack, offering referrals to asthma education sessions, sending a letter to the child's GP advising of the child's recent hospital presentation and coordinating asthma education webinar for GPs. In addition, in Phase II CCs sent text messages to parents/carers reminding them to follow-up with the child's GP. We compared the change in ED visits and hospital admissions at baseline (6 months pre-enrolment) and at 6-and 12-months post-enrolment in the program.ResultsDuring December 2016-January 2021, 160 children (99 in Phase I and 61 in Phase II) were enrolled. Compared to baseline at 6- and 12-months post-enrolment, the proportion of children requiring ≥1 asthma ED presentations reduced by 43 and 61% in Phase I and 41 and 66% in Phase II. Similarly, the proportion of children requiring ≥1 asthma hospital admissions at 6- and 12-months post-enrolment reduced by 40 and 47% in Phase I and 62 and 69% in Phase II.ConclusionOur results support that care coordinator led integrated model of asthma care which enables integration of acute and primary care services and provides families with asthma resources and education can reduce asthma hospital presentations in children.

Depression and Anxiety Symptoms During and After Pediatric Asthma Hospitalization.

Depression and anxiety are common in children with asthma, and asthma hospitalization is an underused opportunity to identify mental health concerns. We assessed depression and anxiety symptoms during asthma hospitalization and 1 to 2 months post discharge. This prospective cohort study included children aged 7 to 17 years who were hospitalized for asthma exacerbation. Participants completed the self-report PROMIS (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System) depression and anxiety symptom scales (T score mean = 50, SD = 10) during hospitalization and 1 to 2 months after discharge. Higher scores indicate more symptoms and/or greater severity. We compared patients' scores during hospitalization and at follow-up using paired t tests and examined individual patients' depression and anxiety symptom trajectories using a Sankey diagram. Among 96 participants who completed the study, 53% had elevated symptoms of depression, anxiety, or both either during hospitalization or after discharge. During hospitalization, 38% had elevated depression symptoms and 45% had elevated anxiety symptoms. At postdischarge follow-up, 18% had elevated depression symptoms and 20% had elevated anxiety symptoms. We observed all possible symptom trajectories: symptoms during hospitalization that persisted (especially if both depression and anxiety symptoms were present), symptoms that resolved, and symptoms that were present at follow-up only. Just more than half of youth hospitalized for asthma exacerbation experienced depression and/or anxiety symptoms during hospitalization or at follow-up. Patients who had both depression and anxiety symptoms during hospitalization were the most likely to have persistent symptoms at follow-up. Screening at both time points may be useful to identify mental health symptoms.

Understanding caregiver perspectives on challenges and solutions to pediatric asthma care for children with a previous hospital admission: a multi-site qualitative study

Objective Pediatric hospital admissions for asthma provide an opportunity to trigger a review of the current management with an aim of preventing readmissions. However, caregiver voices on how best to improve care are missing. Methods As part of a larger, mixed methods cohort study, we identified caregivers of children aged 3–18 years who had an index hospital admission to a tertiary pediatric, mixed adult and pediatric, or regional hospital in Victoria, Australia, between 1st September 2017 and 31st August 2018 with a discharge diagnosis of “Asthma” or “Wheeze” based on International Classification of Disease-10 coding. We conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 39 caregivers. We used content analysis to identify themes from the data. Results Caregivers identified both challenges associated with asthma care for children with a previous hospital admission as well as solutions to improve care and potentially reduce readmissions. Key challenges included: unclear pathways for follow up care, inconsistent advice, lack of personalized management, delays in getting a diagnosis, delays in the prescription of a preventer medication, and difficulty accessing primary care during exacerbations. Follow up with an “asthma specialist”, early access to a trial of preventer medication, personalized Written Asthma Action Plans and increased access to and quality of community-based asthma support services were identified as key solutions. Conclusions Caregivers have identified several potential solutions that could be implemented to improve care and possibly reduce pediatric asthma hospital readmissions. The challenge now is to co-design, embed and evaluate these in healthcare systems. Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at publisher’s website.

Challenges of using asthma admission rates as a measure of primary care quality in children: An international comparison.

ObjectivesTo demonstrate the challenges of interpreting cross-country comparisons of paediatric asthma hospital admission rates as an indicator of primary care quality.MethodsWe used hospital administrative data from >10 million children aged 6–15 years, resident in Austria, England, Finland, Iceland, Ontario (Canada), Sweden or Victoria (Australia) between 2008 and 2015. Asthma hospital admission and emergency department (ED) attendance rates were compared between countries using Poisson regression models, adjusted for age and sex.ResultsHospital admission rates for asthma per 1000 child-years varied eight-fold across jurisdictions. Admission rates were 3.5 times higher when admissions with asthma recorded as any diagnosis were considered, compared with admissions with asthma as the primary diagnosis. Iceland had the lowest asthma admission rates; however, when ED attendance rates were considered, Sweden had the lowest rate of asthma hospital contacts.ConclusionsThe large variations in childhood hospital admission rates for asthma based on the whole child population reflect differing definitions, admission thresholds and underlying disease prevalence rather than primary care quality. Asthma hospital admissions among children diagnosed with asthma is a more meaningful indicator for inter-country comparisons of primary care quality.

Comparing Artificial Intelligence and Traditional Methods to Identify Factors Associated With Pediatric Asthma Readmission

ObjectiveTo identify and contrast risk factors for six-month pediatric asthma readmissions using traditional models (Cox proportional-hazards and logistic regression) and artificial neural-network modeling. MethodsThis retrospective cohort study of the 2013 Nationwide Readmissions Database included children 5 to 18 years old with a primary diagnosis of asthma. The primary outcome was time to asthma readmission in the Cox model, and readmission within 180 days in logistic regression. A basic neural network construction with 2 hidden layers and multiple replications considered all dataset variables and potential variable interactions to predict 180-day readmissions. Logistic regression and neural-network models were compared on area-under-the receiver-operating curve. ResultsOf 18,489 pediatric asthma hospitalizations, 1858 were readmitted within 180 days. In Cox and logistic models, longer index length of stay, public insurance, and nonwinter index admission seasons were associated with readmission risk, whereas micropolitan county was protective. In neural-network modeling, 9 factors were significantly associated with readmissions. Four overlapped with the Cox model (nonwinter-month admission, long length of stay, public insurance, and micropolitan hospitals), whereas 5 were unique (age, hospital bed number, teaching-hospital status, weekend index admission, and complex chronic conditions). The area under the curve was 0.592 for logistic regression and 0.637 for the neural network. ConclusionsDifferent methods can produce different readmission models. Relying on traditional modeling alone overlooks key readmission risk factors and complex factor interactions identified by neural networks.

Regional differences in pediatric asthma hospital admissions: National data from Israel 1996-2017.

Asthma is a common chronic childhood illness and frequent cause of hospitalization. A decline in hospital admission rates was noted up to the 1990s, however, trends are not as clear since the turn of the century. This study aimed to assess the rates and regional differences of asthma admissions over more than two decades using the national Ministry of Health database, which registers data from all the hospitals. A retrospective cohort study, analysis of all pediatric asthma admissions, for Patients 1-14 years old, between 1996 and 2017 as recorded by the National Hospital Discharge Registry, was performed. Asthma admission rates were calculated per 1000 age adjusted residents, using the number of admission cases as the numerator, and age specific population size as the denominator. The annual asthma hospitalization rate decreased in the entire pediatric population from 2.14 in 1996-0.89 in 2017. Children in the 1-4 year age group comprised most of the hospital admissions, and most of the decline was attributable to this age group. Significant differences in hospitalizations were found between different regions as well as differences in the rate of decline in asthma hospitalizations with the lowest admission rate in the Jerusalem district, highest in Haifa, northern and southern Israeli regions and the greatest rate of decline in the Tel-Aviv district. This nationwide study, over more than two decades, shows clear regional differences in the rates of asthma admissions as well as regional differences in the rates of decline.

Pediatric asthma hospitalization: individual and environmental characteristics of high utilizers in South Texas

Objective: Few studies have examined factors affecting the high frequency of hospitalization for pediatric asthma. This study identifies individual and environmental characteristics of children with asthma from a low-income community with a high number of hospitalizations. Methods: The study population included 902 children admitted at least once to a children’s hospital in South Texas because of asthma from 2010 to 2016. The population was divided into three groups by utilization frequency (high: ≥4 times, medium: 2–3 times, or low: 1 time). Individual-level factors at index admission and environmental factors were included for the analysis. Unadjusted and adjusted multivariate ordered logistic regression models were applied to identify significant characteristics of high hospital utilizers. Results: The high utilization group comprised 2.4% of total patients and accounted for substantial hospital resource utilization: 10.8% of all admissions and 13.5% of days stayed in the hospital. Patients in the high utilization group showed longer length of stay (LOS) and shorter time between admissions on average than the other two groups. The multivariate ordered logistic regression models revealed that age of 5–11 years (OR = 0.57, 95%CI = 0.35–0.93), longer LOS (2 days: OR = 1.80, 95%CI = 1.15–2.84; ≥3 days: OR = 3.38, 95%CI = 2.10–5.46), warm season at index admission (OR = 1.49, 95%CI = 1.01–2.20), and higher average ozone level in children’s residential neighborhoods (OR = 1.78, 95%CI = 1.01–3.14) were significantly associated with a higher number of asthma hospitalizations. Conclusions: The findings suggest the importance of monitoring high hospital utilizers and establishing strategies for such patients based on their characteristics to reduce repeated hospitalizations and to increase optimal use of hospital resources.

The data deficit for asthma emergency presentations might surprise you: how RAHDaR addresses the data chasm.

National and state-based minimum data sets remain inadequate in providing a complete representation of emergency presentations, especially among paediatric asthma presentations. Thus, the aim of the study was to identify if a deficit exists in current emergency paediatric asthma hospital presentation datasets and how this may inform an understanding of childhood asthma in Victoria Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study examined emergency hospital presentation data between 1 February 2017 and 31 January 2019. All paediatric (0-14 years) emergency asthma presentation data were collected from nine hospitals in south-western Victoria, Australia, using the Rural Acute Hospital Data Register (RAHDaR), which gathers both Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset (VEMD) data from larger government hospitals, and non-VEMD data from smaller, more rural institutions. Of the 854 emergency presentations identified for children with asthma aged 0-14 years, 540 (63.2%) were managed initially at larger government-reporting hospitals. A total of 314 (36.8%) emergency presentations were initially managed at emergency facilities, such as urgent care centres. Overall, it was found that a total 278 (32.5%) of all emergency presentations did not appear in current government datasets. The RAHDaR database, a complete register of data, captures all emergency presentations in south-western Victoria and highlights as much as a 33% deficit in the data currently available to inform asthma resource initiatives including policy development, funding allocation, prevention and management initiatives in Victoria. More accurate data from sources such as RAHDaR are essential to fill the now-evident data chasm.

Readmission and Ambulatory Health Care Use After Asthma Hospitalization Among Urban Minority Children.

The role of ambulatory follow-up after pediatric asthma hospitalization in preventing long-term readmissions is not well studied among hospitalized minority children. We sought to examine the association of ambulatory visit attendance with long-term readmission as well as identify predictors of attendance at these visits among urban, minority children with asthma. This 2-year retrospective cohort study analyzed data for urban, minority children 2 to 18 years old who were hospitalized for asthma at a tertiary-care center. Using bivariate and multivariable analyses, we examined the independent associations of attending a postdischarge visit (within 14 days), a routine visit (within 3 months of discharge or postdischarge visit), and both visits with likelihood of asthma readmission within 365 days. We also identified predictors of attending each of these visits. The study included 613 children with a median age of 5 years. Of the children, 57.4% were boys, 51.2% were Hispanic, and 36.9% were non-Hispanic African American. One-quarter of the children were readmitted within 365 days of the index hospitalization. Children who attended the postdischarge visit had lower odds of long-term readmission (odds ratio = 0.65; 95% confidence interval = 0.43-0.97). However, attending a routine or both a postdischarge and a routine visit was not significantly associated with long-term readmission. Children with previous sick visits, complicating comorbidities, or more severe exacerbation were more likely to attend visits. Attending a postdischarge visit within 14 days of hospitalization is associated with a lower likelihood of long-term readmission. Those with a previous sick visit, more severe disease, or exacerbation are more likely to attend ambulatory visits after hospital discharge. This knowledge is important in fostering quality care transitions for children with asthma.

Leveraging the Outpatient Pharmacy to Reduce Medication Waste in Pediatric Asthma Hospitalizations

Previous local quality improvement focused on discharging patients with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) "in-hand" decreased healthcare reutilization after hospitalization for an asthma exacerbation. However, as a result of these new processes, some patients admitted for an asthma exacerbation received more than one ICS inhaler during their admission, contributing to medication waste and potential patient confusion regarding their discharge medication regimen. We sought to decrease this waste. We conducted a quality improvement project to reduce the prescribing of multiple ICS inhalers to patients at a large academic children's hospital. Our primary outcome measure was the monthly percentage of patients admitted with an asthma exacerbation who were administered more than one ICS inhaler. A secondary outcome measure evaluated the reliability of the new process of using the hospital-based outpatient pharmacy to supply ICS "in-hand" and verify insurance coverage. After the process map review, we hypothesized a delay in the initial ICS treatment decision would allow for both a finalized discharge medication plan and a standardized process to verify outpatient insurance coverage. The mean percentage of patients receiving more than one ICS inhaler decreased from our baseline of 7.4% to 0.7%. Verification of outpatient prescription insurance coverage via the outpatient pharmacy increased from 0.7% to 50%. The average inpatient cost (average wholesale price) for ICS decreased by 62% to $90.25. Our process change to use the outpatient pharmacy to dispense and verify insurance coverage for ICS medication was associated with a reduction in medication waste during admission for an asthma exacerbation.

“Housing First” for Optimal Child Health

* Abbreviation: HUD — : US Department of Housing and Urban Development According to the World Health Organization, health is “a state of physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”1 Healthy children live in families, environments, and communities that provide them with the opportunity to reach their fullest developmental potential.1 In this issue of Pediatrics , Sakai-Bizmark et al2 share results of a large population-based study on asthma hospitalization rates among homeless youth in the state of New York. The investigators reviewed administrative data from 71 837 pediatric asthma hospitalizations over 5 years using the New York Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project’s Statewide Inpatient Database, compiled by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.2 The authors of this study build on previous work by McLean et al3 in 2004 in which the authors reported a 39.8% increase in the prevalence of asthma among homeless children in New York city. Per the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, the national rate of childhood asthma is 8.3%.4 In their work, Sakai-Bizmark et al2 found a 31 times higher rate … Address correspondence to Kerry K. Sease, MD, MPH, Department of Pediatrics, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, 255 Enterprise Blvd, Suite 110, Greenville, SC 29615. E-mail: kerry.sease{at}prismahealth.org

Cumulative Impact of Environmental Pollution and Population Vulnerability on Pediatric Asthma Hospitalizations: A Multilevel Analysis of CalEnviroScreen.

The CalEnviroScreen created by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Sacramento, USA, is a place-based dataset developed to measure environmental and social indicators that are theorized to have cumulative health impacts on populations. The objective of this study was to examine the extent to which the composite scores of the CalEnviroScreen tool are associated with pediatric asthma hospitalization. This was a retrospective analysis of California hospital discharge data from 2010 to 2012. Children who were hospitalized for asthma-related conditions, were aged 0–14 years, and resided in California were included in analysis. Rates of hospitalization for asthma-related conditions among children residing in California were calculated. Poisson multilevel modeling was used to account for individual- and neighborhood-level risk factors. Every unit increase in the CalEnviroScreen Score was associated with an increase of 1.6% above the mean rate of pediatric asthma hospitalizations (rate ratio (RR) = 1.016, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.014–1.018). Every unit increase in racial/ethnic segregation and diesel particulate matter was associated with an increase of 1.1% and 0.2% above the mean rate of pediatric asthma, respectively (RR = 1.011, 95% CI = 1.010–1.013; RR = 1.002, 95% CI = 1.001–1.004). The CalEnviroScreen is a unique tool that combines socioecological factors and environmental indicators to identify vulnerable communities with major health disparities, including pediatric asthma hospital use. Future research should identify mediating factors that contribute to community-level health disparities.

Short-term effect of PM2.5 on pediatric asthma incidence in Shanghai, China.

Recent epidemiological studies pointed out that air pollution has a significant impact on pediatric asthma. Shanghai is one of the biggest cities in China, and the short-term effect of atmospheric particulate matter on the incidence of pediatric asthma has become a hot topic. From January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2010, we used daily measurements of pollutant concentrations, daily weather data, and daily records of pediatric asthma hospital visits from local authorities to evaluate the short-term effect of air pollution on pediatric asthma incidence in Shanghai, China. We used a generalized additive model (GAM) in the analysis, and the controlled confounding factors include long-term trends, day-of-the-week effects, and weather elements. We divided the entire study group into different age-subgroups. In addition, we took a variety of lag models into consideration. The results showed a strong connection between concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and pediatric asthma hospital visits from 2009 to 2010 in Shanghai, China. For the entire study group, the greatest relative risk (RR) of PM2.5 on pediatric asthma hospital visits was 1.060 on a lag of 4days. As for the three different age-subgroups, the greatest RR of PM2.5 on pediatric asthma hospital visits was 1.061 (at a lag of 5days), 1.071 (at a lag of 4days), and 1.052 (at a lag of 2days), for the under-2-year-olds, 3-to-5-year-olds, and the 6-to-18-year-olds, respectively. The overall short-term effect of PM2.5 on pediatric asthma hospital visits was relatively stronger in younger children. Within the year, we detected the strongest seasonal effect of PM2.5 on pediatric asthma hospital visits in Summer. When adding other air pollutants in the analysis model, RR of PM2.5 on pediatric asthma hospital visits would be increased.

Neighborhood Risk and Hospital Use for Pediatric Asthma, Rhode Island, 2005-2014.

IntroductionStudies consistently show that children living in poor neighborhoods have worse asthma outcomes. The objective of our study was to assess the association between negative neighborhood factors (ie, neighborhood risk) and pediatric asthma hospital use. MethodsThis retrospective study used data from children aged 2 to 17 years in a statewide (Rhode Island) hospital network administrative database linked to US Census Bureau data. We defined an asthma visit as an International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code of 493 in any diagnosis field. We used 8 highly correlated measures for each census-block group to construct an index of neighborhood risk. We used maps and linear regression to assess the association of neighborhood risk with average annual census-block–group rates of asthma emergency department visits and hospitalizations. We used multivariable analyses to identify child characteristics and neighborhood risk associated with an asthma revisit, accounting for the child’s sociodemographic information, season, and multiple measurements per child.ResultsFrom 2005 through 2014, we counted 359,195 visits for 146,889 children. Of these, 12,699 children (8.6%) had one or more asthma visits. Linear regression results showed 1.18 (95% confidence interval, 1.06–1.30) more average annual emergency departments visits per 100 children and 0.41 (95% confidence interval, 0.34–0.47) more average annual hospitalizations per 100 children in neighborhoods in the highest-risk index quintile than in neighborhoods in the lowest-risk index quintile. ConclusionInterventions to improve asthma outcomes among children should move beyond primary care or clinic settings and involve a careful evaluation of social context and environmental triggers.

Reducing pediatric asthma hospital length of stay through evidence-based quality improvement and deployment of computerized provider order entry

Objective: Evaluate the impact of multi-component quality improvement for pediatric asthma care focusing on serial use of an evidence-based clinical pathway via paper order sets, pathway integration into computerized provider order entry (CPOE), use of a clinical respiratory score (CRS) and a discharge checklist. Methods: Outcomes were assessed over three intervention periods and 50 months on: time to beta-agonist and steroid first administration, frequency of readmissions and hospital length of stay. A general linear model estimated mean log(LOS) over time and between study periods. Time to discharge was transformed using the natural logarithm. Results: No improvements in time to first beta-agonist or steroid administration were observed. There was a reduction in 100-day readmissions (p = 0.008): decreasing from 7.4 to 2.1% after introduction of paper order sets and CRS (adjusted p = 0.04); to 3.9% after CPOE implementation (adjusted p = 0.53) and to 2.2% when a discharge checklist was added (adjusted p = 0.01). There was a statistically significant reduction in LOS between study periods (p = 0.015). The geometric mean LOS in hours during study periods 1–4 were: 34.8 (95% CI: 32.2, 37.6), 29.3 (95% CI: 27.5, 31.3), 29.0 (95% CI: 27.0, 31.3) and 23.1 (95% CI: 22.1, 24.2). Pair-wise comparisons between periods were statistically significant (adjusted p ≤ 0.003), except for Periods 2 and 3 (adjusted p = 0.83). Conclusions: Hospital length of stay and 100-day readmissions rate in a predominantly Hispanic, Medicaid patient population were reduced by utilization of an evidence-based best practices asthma management pathway and CRS within CPOE, combined with a checklist to expedite discharge.