Model Predicts Children At High Risk For Asthma Related Acute Care Visits

Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children, and one of the most difficult to manage, which is one of the reasons there are so many emergency department visits for asthma sufferers in the US.

Medical Research: What are the main findings of this study?

Dr. Hanson: Our study of asthmatic children found that the number of historical asthma-related acute care visits (i.e. urgent care, emergency department and inpatient admissions) was predictive of future asthma-related acute care visits.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Hanson: A significant increase in probability of a future visit was observed with each additional historical visit, supporting our model’s ability to effectively risk-stratify patients based solely upon past healthcare utilization.

This will provide clinicians with a simple and practical tool for quickly identifying patients at high risk for future asthma-related acute care visits.