Texas Emergency Department Asthma Surveillance
An Evidence-Based Practice
This practice has been Archived and is no longer maintained.
Description
The Texas Emergency Department Asthma Surveillance (TEDAS) partnership is made up of four regional hospitals that handle the bulk of pediatric asthma cases in Houston and Galveston. The program collects emergency department (ED) information to identify patient characteristics, instructs ED physicians in standardized asthma diagnosis and treatment, and educates patients and parents in asthma management. TEDAS established a database to record all ED visits by children at the participating hospitals and developed educational materials for medical providers, patients, and their families. The program delivers asthma education presentations to emergency room physicians every six months to reinforce lessons and train new staff. Asthma educators teach families and patients self-management using a customizable, computer-based tool, and create an asthma action plan for the child which is also mailed to the patient’s primary care provider.
Goal / Mission
The goal of the TEDAS program is to reduce the number of pediatric asthma-related emergency room visits.
Results / Accomplishments
Approximately 11,000 children with asthma have been reached by the four hospitals. Patients with intermittent asthma made significantly fewer ED visits after receiving the education intervention (40% fewer visits) and caregivers reported improved confidence in their ability to prevent their child’s symptoms from worsening. Physicians who participated in educational programming had significantly improved test scores regarding asthma diagnosis and assessment.
About this Promising Practice
Organization(s)
Texas Children’s Hospital
Primary Contact
Topics
Health / Health Care Access & Quality
Health / Children's Health
Health / Respiratory Diseases
Health / Children's Health
Health / Respiratory Diseases
Organization(s)
Texas Children’s Hospital
Source
PediatricAsthma.org
Date of publication
2006
Date of implementation
2002
Location
Houston and Galveston, TX
For more details
Target Audience
Children