Korean J Asthma Allergy Clin Immunol.  2007 Dec;27(4):226-234.

Changes of Asthma Treatment Prescription Using the Easy Asthma Management Program

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In order to induce primary care physicians (PCPs) to practice guideline-based treatment, various supplementary tools have been developed, but its effect on the change of actual prescription practice is still unsatis factory.
OBJECTIVE
This study was conducted to investigate and Easy Asthma Management (EAM) program helps PCPs to prescribe medications based on the guidelines. METHOD: Requested cases for health insurance review by physicians were analyzed. A Total of 542 cases were compared between the changes before and after the training, and they were also compared with 374 requested cases by the control group. RESULT: After the training, changes asthma medication pre- scription were observed as follows: in the trained physician group 24% reduction in beta2-agonists; 24% reduction in methylzanthines, and 16% increase in steroids, in case of steroids, 46% reduction in oral steroids only; 64% increase in inhaled steroids with beta2-agonists; in the control group, 4% increase in beta2-agonists, 3% increase in methylzanthines, and 3% reduction in steroids after the training.
CONCLUSION
In this study, physicians who received EAM training program showed the changes of prescription according to guideline-based anti-inflammation prescription, compared with non-trained physicians.

MeSH Terms

Asthma*
Education
Humans
Insurance, Health
Physicians, Primary Care
Prescriptions*
Steroids
Steroids