Asthma Care in the Calgary Zone
COMMENTARY The Community Pediatric Asthma Service—Together We’re Better: Asthma care in the Calgary zone Ambris Ford, BHSc, RRT, CRE, Cinde Little, RRT, CRE, CTE, Cindy Bronconnier RRT, CRE, CTE, Kathy Courtney, RRT, CRE, CTE, Val Olson, RRT, CRE, CTE, Shirley van de Wetering, BSc MBA, Mary Noseworthy, MD FRCPC, Brenda Dueck, Terri Humphries, Debbie Desrosiers A Ford, C Little, C Bronconnier, K Courtney, V Olson, S van de Wetering, M Noseworthy, B Dueck, T Humphries, D Desrosiers. The Community Pediatric Asthma Service—Together we’re better: Asthma care in the Calgary zone. Can J Respir Ther 2018;54(4):1–6. doi: 10.29390/cjrt-2018-015. INTRODUCTION Every HIF required independent evaluation. One of the key find- The Community Pediatric Asthma Service in Calgary, Alberta, ings of the Final Evaluation Report was the reduction in emergency and focuses on improving asthma self-management skills for patients and hospital utilization: “There was a 65.1% reduction in emergency visits families through one-on-one education sessions in the Calgary Zone. and a 61.9% reduction in hospital days over an 18-month period We also aim to increase physician confidence to diagnose and manage among the first 112 patients seen by the iCAN educator” [9]. The asthma by sharing medically accurate, consistent information in inno- Belfield Evaluation formed the basis for a business case that resulted vative ways. in permanent funding for a community focused asthma education ser- The Public Health Agency of Canada estimates the national preva- vice in June 2005, which is today’s Community Pediatric Asthma lence of asthma to be 15.3% for the 1–19-year-old age group [1] and, Service.
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