A Multidisciplinary Clinic for Children with Problematic Severe Asthma: Assessment of Clinical Outcomes, Healthcare Utilization and Costs

Date
2014-12-24
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Abstract
Background: The Intensive Management of Asthma Clinic (IMAC) at the Alberta Children’s Hospital is a novel multidisciplinary clinic for children with severe problematic asthma. Whether consolidating resources in this clinic is effective, compared to the regular asthma clinic, has not been studied. Methods: This quasi-experimental retrospective study compared the IMAC and regular asthma clinic. Data was collected in three categories: clinical outcomes, healthcare utilization, and costs (healthcare utilization, patient-borne). Primary analyses used linear mixed effects modeling, paired t-tests, and ANOVA. Results: Lung function improved more for IMAC patients. Quality of life scores, measured only in the IMAC, improved. Scheduled clinic visits increased, while ED visits decreased. The increased cost of the IMAC was greater than the total costs saved by subsequent decreased healthcare utilization; overall the IMAC was more expensive. Conclusion: The IMAC is effective in improving clinical outcomes and decreasing healthcare utilization; however, these benefits come at extra cost.
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Health Sciences
Citation
Kam, K. (2014). A Multidisciplinary Clinic for Children with Problematic Severe Asthma: Assessment of Clinical Outcomes, Healthcare Utilization and Costs (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/24802