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Background: Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children, resulting in considerable morbidity and healthcare utilisation, especially in geographical areas with high deprivation. Parents play a pivotal role in children's asthma management. Aim: To explore the views of parents whose children have asthma, regarding barriers and facilitators to receiving adequate asthma care. Design & setting: A qualitative study conducted in an urban, multi-ethnic setting with high socioeconomic deprivation and paediatric asthma-related hospital admissions. Method: The study used a pragmatic approach underpinned by a perspective of critical realism. Parents of children with asthma were recruited through purposive and convenience sampling, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis, facilitated by NVivo12 software. Results: Ten parents participated in nine interviews. Six themes were identified relating to the following: (1) the establishment of a new life dynamic following a diagnosis of asthma; (2) the turbulent and drawn-out process of asthma diagnosis; (3) the roles and expectations of the partnership established between parents and healthcare services; (4) the importance of schools in asthma management; (5) sources and access to relevant information; and (6) the importance of social support networks. Parents frequently felt unsupported and misunderstood, particularly during the diagnostic process. Conclusion: Unmet parental educational and emotional needs, particularly around the time of diagnosis, were identified as a key barrier to adequate asthma management. Deeper understanding of gaps in support can instruct asthma care delivery and inform co-produced interventions, thus improving asthma outcomes in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clinical guidelines recommend that patients admitted to hospital for asthma attacks are reviewed in primary care following hospital discharge. Aim: To evaluate asthma management in primary care following a hospital admission for asthma and its associations with patient characteristics. Design and setting: A retrospective cohort study using English primary care data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum database and linked Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care data. Method: Patients with asthma aged ≥5 years who had at least one asthma-related hospital admission from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2019 were included. The primary outcome was a composite of any of the following delivered in primary care within 28 days from hospital discharge: asthma review, asthma management plan, asthma medication prescriptions, demonstration of inhaler technique, or smoking cessation counselling. The association between patient characteristics and delivery of clinical care was assessed using logistic regression. Results: The study included 17 457 patients. A total of 10 515 (60.2%) patients received the primary outcome within 28 days of hospital discharge. There were 2311 (13.2%) who received an asthma review, 1459 (8.4%) an asthma management plan, 9996 (57.3%) an asthma medication, 1500 (8.6%) a demonstration of inhaler technique, and 52 (1.2% of smokers) had smoking cessation counselling. Patients from Black ethnic minority groups received less of this care (27%–54% lower odds, depending on age). However, short-acting bronchodilator prescriptions in the previous year were associated with an increased likelihood of the primary outcome. Conclusion: A significant proportion of patients do not receive timely follow-up in primary care following asthma-related admissions to hospital, particularly among Black ethnic minority groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children, resulting in considerable morbidity and healthcare utilisation, especially in geographical areas with high deprivation. Parents play a pivotal role in children's asthma management., Aim: To explore the views of parents whose children have asthma, regarding barriers and facilitators to receiving adequate asthma care., Design & Setting: A qualitative study conducted in an urban, multi-ethnic setting with high socioeconomic deprivation and paediatric asthma-related hospital admissions., Method: The study used a pragmatic approach underpinned by a perspective of critical realism. Parents of children with asthma were recruited through purposive and convenience sampling, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis, facilitated by NVivo12 software., Results: Ten parents participated in nine interviews. Six themes were identified relating to the following: (1) the establishment of a new life dynamic following a diagnosis of asthma; (2) the turbulent and drawn-out process of asthma diagnosis; (3) the roles and expectations of the partnership established between parents and healthcare services; (4) the importance of schools in asthma management; (5) sources and access to relevant information; and (6) the importance of social support networks. Parents frequently felt unsupported and misunderstood, particularly during the diagnostic process., Conclusion: Unmet parental educational and emotional needs, particularly around the time of diagnosis, were identified as a key barrier to adequate asthma management. Deeper understanding of gaps in support can instruct asthma care delivery and inform co-produced interventions, thus improving asthma outcomes in children., (Copyright © 2024, The Authors.)