Reducing the Acute Care Burden of Childhood Asthma on Health Services in British Columbia

The study addresses the burden of pediatric asthma in BC and the value a short course of oral steroids provides in reducing the acute care burden of asthma. The goal is to implement and evaluate an intervention to reduce the acute care burden of asthma exacerbations.

The study addresses the burden of pediatric asthma in BC and the value a short course of oral steroids provides in reducing the acute care burden of asthma. The goal is to implement and evaluate an intervention to reduce the acute care burden of asthma exacerbations. The project will:

1. Determine the overall health system burden of pediatric asthma in BC, and in particular, the burden that is attributable to URTI-induced exacerbations;
2. Compare the effectiveness of parentally administered oral steroids at the first signs of URTIs in children with repeated emergency department visits for asthmas exacerbations versus usual care in children with URTI-induced exacerbations; and
3. With the assistance of Child Health BC transfer knowledge gained from the burden of illness and intervention objectives to health care settings where children with asthmas are managed throughout BC.

A simple and effective asthma management strategy will be designed that can be readily implemented for BC children with asthma to reduce future severe exacerbations. This approach will be a collaboration of PHSA agencies, HealthLink BC and emergency departments across BC.