P4.004: Creating Fillable Asthma Action Plans in EHR to Improve SMART Therapy Medication Compliance and Decrease Exacerbations

Purpose/Objectives: To reduce asthma exacerbations in pediatric patients and improve asthma medication compliance using new SMART therapy guidelines through the implementation of asthma action plans automatically fillable in the ERH to be able to give a hard copy at the time of the visit and an electronic copy immediately accessible via patient portal.

Design/Methods: A chart audit was conducted using PCC EHR. To identify patients in need of asthma action plans (AAPs)
A patient list was generated based on ICD-10 codes related to asthma. These charts were audited to see if an Asthma action plan was present in the chart. These charts were then reviewed to assess eligibility for SMART therapy treatment and the presence of updated AAP guidelines. This initial data collection established a baseline, showing the percentage of asthmatic patients who were eligible for SMART therapy and had current asthma action plans.
An updated fillable asthma action plan was created and programmed in PCC EHR to be fillable and printable at time of visit thus creating an automated, yet personalized care plan. This redesign replaces the need for providers to physically fill out an AAP and take the extra step of scanning it into the system. Instead, a filled-out copy is automatically saved in the EHR after generating the AAP, making the plan more accessible for both the provider and patient. Post intervention audit will be done three months later to evaluate the percentage of asthmatic patients who were adhering to SMART therapy and using an up-to-date asthma action plan. Pre- and post-intervention data was analyzed using Sigma XL.

Results: At this time we do not have post intervention results. Our baseline percentage of patients with asthma action plans is 26%. We will have remeasurement at 1 and 3 Months post intervention

Conclusion/Discussion: One of the most effective methods of managing asthma in children is through proper education for both patients and parents on effective intervention and medication management. Asthma action plans play a key role in reducing exacerbations in children. In particular, making these plans more accessible for doctors enhances distribution of updated AAPs and improves compliance with SMART therapy. By creating fillable AAPs in the EHR system, we observed a significant increase in both AAP distribution and SMART therapy adherence, leading to a reduction in asthma mismanagement.