A Quality Improvement Project on Diagnosis and Management of Asthma in a Private Pediatric Setting

Background: Although national guidelines exist for the diagnosis and management of asthma, general practice differs significantly from recommendations. Quality improvement methodology when implemented can narrow quality gaps. Objective: The objective of the project was to create and implement a plan of action to address identified gaps in key clinical activities of asthma care among pediatric population in a private pediatric setting in Northern California Methods: The project was centered on the use of Education in Quality Improvement for Pediatric Practice (EQIPP), a program of the American Academy of the Pediatrics. Both the pediatrician and the DNP student took this course and employed its methods to improve asthma management. EQIPP supports providers in improving their practice with didactic materials that help participants develop quality improvement project and tools to evaluate the outcomes of that project. Results: Based on the asthmatic patient data analysis the quality improvement team identified that the clinic lacks compliance in the following areas of national guidelines. a) Diagnosis of asthma, b) Asthma action plan and c) Asthma control and follow up. The team then developed and implemented an improvement plan based on EQIPP. Conclusion: The quality improvement project enriched the pediatric practice management of asthma patients and similar projects could be implemented in other settings too.