PMID: 8945795Oct 1, 1996Paper

Observations on the structure, process and clinical outcomes of asthma care in general practice

The British Journal of General Practice : the Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
R G NevilleR A Clark

Abstract

There is a need to establish whether the structure of asthma care in general practice is associated with measures of process and with primary and secondary care clinical outcomes. Debate about how to resource general practice asthma care is hampered by a lack of observational data from throughout the United Kingdom (UK). To observe whether the present system of family health services authority (FHSA) accreditation of asthma clinics, based on measures of structure, is associated with measures of process or clinical outcome. Two hundred and twenty-five UK practitioners enrolled in a project and recorded details of how they organized asthma care. Data from 6732 patients, concerning general practitioner and nurse consultations, asthma attacks, symptom control, emergency treatments and hospital attendances covering a 12-month period, were also provided. FHSA approval for a chronic disease management (CDM) asthma clinic was associated with favourable patterns of structure and process, but not of clinical outcome. Practice audit and the employment of a nurse with an asthma diploma were associated with favourable patterns of structure, process and clinical outcome. Practices (n = 143) that had recently audited asthma patient care (n = ...Continue Reading

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Asthma

This feed focuses in Asthma in which your airways narrow and swell. This can make breathing difficult and trigger coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.

Allergy and Asthma

Allergy and asthma are inflammatory disorders that are triggered by the activation of an allergen-specific regulatory t cell. These t cells become activated when allergens are recognized by allergen-presenting cells. Here is the latest research on allergy and asthma.