Category: Federal Forum Posters
Purpose: Asthma is a chronic lung disease with symptoms including wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. These symptoms are controlled by receiving proper medical care and avoiding triggers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asthma affected 26.5 million people in 2016, and of those currently with asthma, 46.9% have reported having one or more asthma attacks. In 2015, more than 1.7 million people visited the emergency department (ED) to seek asthma-related care. The objective of this study is to determine if a transitional care pharmacy program would improve asthma management, thus reduce exacerbation visits to the ED.
Methods: An asthma management protocol will be established for the ED. Once an ED provider diagnoses and treats the patient’s asthma exacerbations, the pharmacy team will then manage the patient’s asthma care per protocol. The ED pharmacist will prescribe the appropriate step-up medication(s) based on patient assessment and protocol. The dispensing pharmacist will educate the patient on proper inhaler technique and asthma disease management. On weeks 1, 2, 4, and 8, the pharmacy will follow up through phone calls or in person on disease management. The pharmacy will concurrently work with patients to establish a primary care visit. The number of asthma exacerbations will be counted based on the medication(s) used (i.e. albuterol nebulizer solution, ipratropium nebulizer solution, and/or prednisone) and primary indication(s) stated for an ED visit. The primary outcome will measure a change in the number of asthma exacerbations seen in the ED before and after pharmacy intervention as a transitional care program. The secondary outcome will measure a reduction in overall hospital spending for asthma exacerbations.
Results: not applicable
Conclusion: not applicable
Catherine Dunton
– Pharmacy Resident, Gallup Indian Medical Center, Gallup, NM124 Views