IMPACT DC: Reconceptualizing the Role of the Emergency Department for Urban Children with Asthma

With a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, we developed and evaluated an emergency department (ED) based intervention in which patients returned to the ED for a structured 90-minute appointment during the weeks after an acute asthma visit. The intervention, which emphasized disease management using national asthma guidelines, successfully reduced overdependence on EDs for episodic care of asthma while also improving asthma-related quality of life among a cohort of low-income, urban, and largely minority children with moderate to severe asthma and a history of ED recidivism. We have since sustained and grown this multifaceted approach to addressing the disparities in asthma care and outcomes among children in our community.

Keywords: pediatric asthma, emergency department, teachable moment