EMBARGOED UNTIL MAY 4, 1999
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Dyanne Marcus, Montefiore Medical Center (718) 920-4011
Adam Pockriss, Dan Klores Associates (212) 685-4300
NEW STUDY SHOWS INNER-CITY CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA BENEFIT FROM PRIMARY CARE-BASED INTERVENTION
-- Dr. Karen Warman of Montefiore Medical Center to Present Award-Winning Abstract at Pediatric Academic Societies Conference in May --
A recently concluded trial conducted by doctors at Montefiore Medical Center in New York found that primary care-based interventions can significantly improve aspects of asthma care for inner-city children. Karen Warman, MD, a pediatrician at Montefiore, will present the trial's findings in an abstract entitled "Can a Primary Care-Based Asthma Intervention Affect Service Use, Home Management and Morbidity for Inner-City Children?" at the 1999 Pediatric Academic Societies Conference in San Francisco May 4.
The Asthma Passport Program (APP) is an educational program designed to help the parents of inner-city children with asthma work in partnership with the child's primary care provider. Dr. Warman and her colleagues found that APP participation resulted in fewer hospitalizations, stronger parent-primary care physician partnerships and increased use of appropriate asthma home management techniques.
"The results of our study on the effectiveness of the Asthma Passport Program are extremely encouraging," said Dr. Warman. "This study illustrates the importance of increased outreach to families of children with asthma and better communication between parents and pediatricians. These are key factors in controlling asthma in inner-city children."
The goals of the program are to improve asthma management practices, and to reduce asthma morbidity and acute care utilization. Parents are given an Asthma Passport, which is a personal asthma record that contains specific management plans for treating their child at home. The program incorporates the teachings of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program guidelines.
The twelve-month trial studied 220 children ages 2-12 years who had at least one asthma-related hospitalization between January 1995 and September 1996. It found that APP participants had fewer hospitalizations over the twelve-month study period than a control group (0.65 vs. 0.83) and that the parents of APP patients relied more on their primary care physician for answering medical questions (77% vs. 55%). In terms of asthma management, more APP patients had written plans (66% vs. 44%) and more reported using spacers (63% vs. 47%), peak flow meters (53% vs. 29%) and mattress casings (49% vs. 35%).
Asthma affects approximately 4.8 million American children, with a disproportionate prevalence among inner-city children. In the borough of the Bronx, which is served by Montefiore Medical Center, an estimated 8.6% of children have asthma -- approximately twice the national rate -- and asthma hospitalization and mortality rates continue to climb.
Dr. Warman's abstract has been selected as the winner of the Ambulatory Pediatric Association's 1999 Ray E. Helfer Award for Innovation in Pediatric Education.
A copy of the abstract is available upon request.
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During the meeting, please call the Moscone Convention Center press room at 415-905-1001 to speak with researchers or [email protected].
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