These US-based researchers evaluated the effect of an emergency department (ED)-based intervention addressing beliefs and barriers to follow-up asthma care among inner-city families. The study recruited 433 children aged 1 to 18 years who were discharged after asthma treatment in an urban paediatric ED. Controls received instructions to followup with a primary care provider (PCP) within 3 to 5 days. Intervention subjects additionally underwent asthma symptom screening, viewed a video addressing beliefs about asthma control and they were mailed a reminder to follow-up with a PCP. All subjects were contacted by telephone 1, 3, and 6 months after the ED visit. After the intervention and before ED discharge, intervention subjects were more likely to endorse beliefs about the benefits of follow-up than controls. However, rates of PCP follow-up during the month after the ED visit (44.5%) were similar to control subjects (43.8%) as were asthma-related quality of life, medication use, and ED visits.
