SELECTED ARTICLES FROM THE RECENT LITERATURE 2007December 19, 2007
Emergency Department Treatment of Asthma
Summary
The goal of the investigators was to describe characteristics of children treated in emergency departments for asthma and assess the effects of management strategies on return visits within 72 hours. The study utilized 152 emergency departments in Ontario, Canada. Children aged 2 to 17 years who visited the emergency departments between April 2003 and March 2005 were included. There was a total of 32,996 children evaluated.The overall return visit rate was 5.6%. The investigators found that preprinted order sheets and access to a pediatrician for consultation were strategies significantly associated with a reduction in return visits. The 11 (17%) emergency departments that utilized both of these strategies had return visit rates of 4.4% compared with 6.9% in the 95 (63%) that used neither strategy.
Reference
Guttmann A, et al. Effectiveness of emergency department asthma management strategies on return visits in children: a population-based study. Pediatrics, December 2007; 120:e1402-e1410 (published online).
