Telehealth-Enhanced Asthma Care for Home After the Emergency Room

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · May 2, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The TEACH-ER trial is studying a new way to help children with asthma manage their condition after being treated in the emergency room. The goal is to see if using telehealth, which means medical care through video calls, can improve asthma care at home. In this study, children aged 3 to 12 who have been diagnosed with asthma and recently had an emergency visit for asthma symptoms can participate. The program includes education about asthma, follow-up virtual visits with healthcare providers, and support for managing medications at home.

Eligible participants will receive clear instructions and resources to help them understand and manage their asthma effectively. Over 12 months, researchers will follow up with families to see how well the program works, looking at things like asthma symptoms, medication use, and any future trips to the emergency room. This study aims to improve the quality of life for children with asthma and ensure they get the best possible care.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria (all criteria must be met):
• • Physician diagnosis of asthma, based on review of medical records and/or caregiver report.
• • Current emergency visit for an acute asthma exacerbation, requiring treatment with rescue medication.
• * Persistent asthma or poor asthma control for which a daily controller medication is recommended by NHLBI guidelines, defined as any 1 of the following:
• • 1. \>2 days/wk with asthma symptoms in the past month,
• • 2. \>2 days/wk with rescue medication use in the past month,
• • 3. \>2 days/month with nighttime symptoms in the past month (vs. 1-2 nights per month if 3-4 years old), or
• • 4. ≥1 other episode of asthma during the past year that required systemic corticosteroids (vs. during the past 6 months if 3-4 years old).
• • Child age between ≥3 and ≤12 years.
• • Child and caregiver live in Monroe County, NY.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • An inability to speak and understand English. Parents (and children) with low literacy / health-literacy skills will be eligible, as survey instruments will be administered verbally and educational materials will be designed for low-literacy populations.
• • No access to a working phone for follow-up surveys (either at the subject's home or an easily accessible location). If a subject does not have access to an appropriate device for Zoom visits at home, we will provide a device with required data plan.
• • Other significant medical conditions, including cystic fibrosis, congenital heart disease, or other chronic lung disease, that could interfere with the assessment of asthma-related measures.
• • Children in foster care or other situations in which consent cannot be obtained from a legal guardian.