Measures for decreasing inpatient stay in childhood asthma

Abstract

Traditionally, studies of asthma have concentrated on interventions that were mainly pharmaceutical and outcomes that were usually based on pulmonary function testing. More recently, there has been increasing emphasis on organisational procedures that can enhance the delivery of effective care, and outcomes based more on the clinical than the physiological. Minimum length of stay is targeted as one outcome of benefit for patients and their families. The methods of decreasing hospital stay for asthmatic children which have been proposed and studied are reviewed.