Asthma Clinical Excellence – A Quality Improvement Project

Purpose: Improper management of asthma leads to poor patient outcomes and increases in both costs and resources. This study aims to increase provider adherence to asthma clinical practice guidelines.

Methods: A multifaceted intervention was utilized that included educational sessions for providers, adjustments to the electronic health record (EHR), access to toolkits, and workflow changes. Pediatric patients aged 5-18 years and diagnosed with asthma (N = 173) were evaluated using a pre-post design. Provider adherence to key components of clinical practice guidelines were assessed prior to implementation, and a three and six months post-implementation. Data was analyzed using descriptive statists and the Friedman’s ANOVA by rank.

Results: Provider education, EHR adjustments, provider toolkits, and changes to office workflow improved provider adherence to key aspects of asthma clinical practice guidelines. A significant difference was found between the pre and post implementation groups (p < .01).

Conclusion: Increased adherence to clinical practice guidelines leads to fewer complications and an overall improved quality of life. Continuing provider education is critical to sustained adherence.