School-supervised Asthma Therapy is Associated with Improved Long-Term Asthma Outcomes for Underrepresented Minority Children.
Holly N Shillan, Janki P Luther, Grace W Ryan and 8 others
PMID 35548948WHAT IT FOUND
Asthma emergency visits fell 67.9% at one year, 59.5% at two, 70.2% at three, and 50% at four among children followed after school nurse-supervised inhaled steroid therapy; hospital admissions also declined.
Key findings
01Among 83 children analyzed, asthma-related emergency department visits decreased by 67.9% at one year, 59.5% at two years, 70.2% at three years, and 50% at four years compared with the year before enrollment.
02Total emergency department visits, asthma-related hospital admissions, and total hospital admissions also declined significantly over one to four years post-enrollment.
03The reductions did not differ significantly by allergic versus non-allergic asthma or by number of years enrolled in the program.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
No control group was included, so children not enrolled might have had fewer emergency visits or admissions over time anyway. The analysis included only children with electronic medical record data available beyond one year, so it may not represent all children who started the program. Children served as their own controls, and the study did not adjust for many potential confounders. Most medical care occurred within the same health system, so results may not apply to children whose care is fragmented across systems. The program combined pediatric referral, school nurse supervision, family inhaler supply, and daily school-day therapy, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that school nurse-supervised therapy caused four years of lower asthma emergency visits and admissions. The study had no control group, so it shows an association in enrolled children, not proof that the intervention alone produced the reduction.