Aim: To review the supply of medications to children with asthma and parent-reported management of childhood asthma in Tasmania and highlight evidence-practice gaps for future interventions.

Methods: Participating pharmacies ran a software application that extracted data from dispensing records and helped to identify children with asthma. Parents of identified children were mailed a survey evaluating components of asthma management. Dispensing and survey data were analysed.

Results: A total of 939 children from 23 pharmacies were identified by the software and deemed eligible for inclusion. Surveys were received from 353 (37.6%) parents. In the past year, short-acting beta-2 agonists were supplied to 56.1% of the cohort, preventers to 76.5% (inhaled corticosteroids 52.3%; leukotriene receptor antagonists 31.3%; inhaled cromones 0.6%), long-acting beta-2 agonists (LABAs) to 25.7% and oral corticosteroids to 21.5%. Approximately half of the children receiving inhaled corticosteroids were concurrently receiving a LABA. Among children with indicators of inadequately controlled asthma, up to 73.7% of their parents reported that their asthma was adequately controlled, up to 38.2% did not possess an Asthma Action Plan, up to 36.8% were not regularly using a spacer and up to 22.8% had not received a preventer.

Conclusion: These results indicate gaps in childhood asthma management, in particular, undersupply of preventers in high-risk patient groups, high supply of LABAs and insufficient spacer and asthma action plan usage. These areas should be targeted for interventions to improve childhood asthma management.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	asthma, childhood, data mining, disease management, drug therapy, pharmacy
Research Division:	Medical and Health Sciences
Research Group:	Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Research Field:	Pharmaceutical Sciences
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Other Health
Objective Field:	Health not elsewhere classified
Author:	Bereznicki, BJ (Dr Bonnie Bereznicki)
Author:	Norton, LC (Miss Lucy Norton)
Author:	Beggs, SA (Dr Sean Beggs)
Author:	Gee, P (Mr Peter Gee)
Author:	Bereznicki, LRE (Professor Luke Bereznicki)
ID Code:	84837
Year Published:	2013
Web of Science® Times Cited:	2
Deposited By:	Pharmacy
Deposited On:	2013-06-04
Last Modified:	2014-05-13
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