IMPROVING ASTHMA QUALITY OF CARE USING THE INTERNET

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Evidence-based computerized reminders have proven to be effective at improving low rates of cancer prevention and detection services, yet such systems have rarely been tested for improving the quality of care for patients with asthma. The aim of this Phase 1 SBIR is to develop and formatively test a working prototype of an interactive website with the following major functions, based on consensus guidelines for asthma care from the Second National Asthma Education and Prevention Program Guidelines (NAEPP), sponsored by the National Institutes of Health: 1) to proactively query patients, before each visit with a health care provider, to understand what depression care evidence-based guidelines suggest they are due, 2) to provide brief, tailored, on-screen feedback to patients regarding the depression care they are due, 3) to provide brief, tailored, faxed reminders to health care providers, timed to coincide with the patients' visit, regarding the depression care they are due. We believe this approach has significant potential for disseminating evidence-based consensus guidelines for asthma and potentially guidelines for other clinical conditions.