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Nurse-Directed Inpatient Asthma Intervention

An Evidence-Based Practice

This practice has been Archived and is no longer maintained.

Description

The Nurse-Directed Inpatient Asthma Intervention is a hospital-based program for adults who have been hospitalized due to asthma. The program uses asthma nurse specialists to help high-risk patients reduce hospital readmission rates and improve health quality. As a part of the intervention, individual treatment plans are revised to be consistent with the National Asthma Education Prevention Program Guidelines, and during hospitalization, a daily Asthma Care flow sheet enhances communication between the nurse specialist and the physician. Nurses educate patient participants about asthma and help them develop an individualized asthma self-management plan. Asthma education includes medication dosing, inhaler technique, and peak flow monitoring. Outpatient care is facilitated through telephone follow-ups.

Goal / Mission

The goal of the Nurse-Directed Inpatient Asthma Intervention is to improve health quality and reduce hospitalization readmissions due to asthma.

Results / Accomplishments

Participants in the intervention had a 60% reduction in total hospitalizations following the program when compared to a regular-care control group (31 vs. 71 readmissions, p = 0.04). Readmissions due to asthma decreased by 54% (21 vs. 42 readmissions, p = 0.04). Intervention participants had markedly fewer lost work or school days (246 vs. 1,040 days) and substantially reduced direct and indirect health-care costs ($5,726 vs. $12,188).

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Washington University School of Medicine
Primary Contact
Mario Castro, M.D., M.P.H.
Washington University School of Medicine
Box 8052
660 S. Euclid Ave
St. Louis, MO 63110
(314) 362-6904
castrom@msnotes.wustl.edu
http://medschool.wustl.edu/
Topics
Health / Respiratory Diseases
Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants
Organization(s)
Washington University School of Medicine
Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Date of publication
Jun 2003
Date of implementation
1996
Location
St. Louis, MO
For more details
http://www.cdc.gov/asthma/interventions/adults_hos...
Target Audience
Adults

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  5. Improving Pediatric Asthma Care in the District of Columbia (IMPACT DC)
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Related Content for: Nurse-Directed Inpatient Asthma Intervention

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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