A service improvement project to harness the benefits of ICS/Formoterol reliever therapy (alone or as MART) for patients attending ED or requiring hospital admission for acute exacerbations of asthma. (ID 544)
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
Abstract
Background
Acute asthma exacerbations place a significant burden upon our patients, their families, and our healthcare services. ED attendances for asthma remain high and a significant proportion are re-attendances. The majority of patients are discharged from ED with prescriptions for OCS/SABA; however, their existing treatment is often not reviewed, and assessments of adherence/inhaler technique and treatment optimisation are deferred to primary care or follow-up review with the asthma team. For those hospitalised with asthma, patient-led SABA inhaler treatment is widely used but ICS/formoterol reliever therapy (alone or as MART) is not.
Methods
We are undertaking a collaborative service improvement project to harness the benefits of ICS/formoterol reliever therapy (alone or as MART) for patients attending ED or requiring hospital admission for acute exacerbations of asthma. There are 3 parts to this project which include: development of the asthma Exacerbation Box providing patients with all the necessary resources to start ICS/formoterol reliever therapy without the need for specialist input; development of digital prescriptions with option for patient-led dosing of ICS/formoterol treatment in the in-patient setting supported by a ‘prescribing workshop’ to understand the barriers to implementation and provision of standardised information to primary care on discharge paperwork explaining the rationale for change; and targeted educational initiatives delivered through peer- to-peer teaching sessions and creation of a ‘bite-sized’ educational video.
Results and Conclusion
This project is still being undertaken and we expect to have results by late 2024; however, the team (including our patient representatives) are working collaboratively to ensure this initiative can effectively address the recognised barriers to the implementation of ICS/formoterol reliever therapy (alone or as MART) for patients attending ED or requiring hospitalisation for an acute exacerbation of their asthma, allowing us to maximise the benefits to patients across the urgent care pathway.
Funding: None
Conflicts of interest: None
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