Greater Providence, Rhode Island is comprised of several urban ?core? cities of high poverty and significant pediatric asthma disparity. The RI-Asthma Integrated Response (RI-AIR) Asthma Care Implementation Program (ACIP) is a comprehensive system of identification, screening and intervention for pediatric asthma. Core components include: a 1) state of the art technology platform (the RI-AIR information data system, or RI-AIR IDS) to integrate data from LifeChart (EHR), REDCap (research data system), and KIDSNet (state-based database of child health information), 2) algorithm for stratification of asthma management services based on level of asthma control/risk, 3) multilevel school-based education (CASE) to family/child/school system for children whose asthma is not well-controlled, 4) intensive home-based intervention (HARP) for children with poorly controlled asthma, and 5) enhanced coordination between caregiver, school nurse, and health care provider to promote integration across sectors of care.
The first aim of the proposed work is to evaluate the effectiveness of the RI-AIR ACIP using a randomized, stepped wedge design. During Years 2-4, we will provide our intervention sequentially to sixteen high-risk communities involving approximately 1500 urban, ethnically diverse children (aged 2-12) with asthma and their families. We will evaluate both individual-level (e.g., asthma control) and community-specific outcomes (i.e., rates of ED a multi-level process evaluation of the RI-AIR ACIP during implementation (Years 2-5). We will assess penetration within identified communities and school districts, and evaluate characteristics of families that accept and complete the intervention vs. those who do not. We will determine fidelity of the RI-AIR IDS technology platform in assigning interventions according to asthma control/risk, and treatment fidelity and dose delivered of the HARP and CASE programs. We will use focus groups and provider surveys to determine facilitators of and barriers to visits) for children with asthma.
The second aim of this application involves conducting effective implementation.
The third aim i nvolves conducting a mixed-methods evaluation of the sustainability of the RI-AIR ACIP, with ongoing input from our community stakeholders during Years 5-6. We define sustainability as continued capacity, continued activities, and continued benefits. We expect over 1 year, participants receiving the RI-AIR ACIP will have improved asthma control and fewer symptom free days relative to baseline. We expect over 1 year, relative to baseline, caregivers will have improved asthma knowledge, self-efficacy, asthma QOL, and indicators of effective disease management. We expect over 1 year, communities receiving the RI-AIR ACIP will have reduced ED visits and hospitalizations relative to their baseline year, and relative to targeted communities that have not yet received RI-AIR. We plan to demonstrate that RI-AIR ACIP is a replicable, evidence-based and cost-saving model that improves asthma outcomes for children at most risk, and can be disseminated to other urban communities to address asthma disparities.
Pediatric asthma is a significant public health problem. Striking asthma disparities continue despite available clinical guidelines to manage asthma in home and school settings. There is a crucial need for coordinated systems of asthma care. This proposal will evaluate the effectiveness of the RI-Asthma Integrated Response (RI-AIR) Asthma Care Implementation Program (ACIP), a comprehensive system of identification, screening and intervention for pediatric asthma, targeted toward high-risk communities in greater Providence, RI. The RI- AIR ACIP is based on home and school interventions for pediatric asthma that have established efficacy, with input from the RI-AIR Collaborative, an established group of key stakeholders involved in the care of children with asthma in the state. The end-products of this project will be a sustainable, disseminable intervention model to address asthma management barriers to children at highest risk for poor disease outcomes.
