Esli Osmanlliu1,2, Matthew Slimovitch3, Olivier Drouin4, Nathalie Lucas1, Jocelyn Gravel1, Nathalie Gaucher5. 1. Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, CHU Sainte-Justine, 3175, Ch. de La Côte Sainte-Catherine, Montreal, QC, H3T 1C5, Canada. 2. Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Montreal Children's Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada. 3. Pediatric Emergency Medicine, SickKids Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada. 4. Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC, Canada. 5. Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, CHU Sainte-Justine, 3175, Ch. de La Côte Sainte-Catherine, Montreal, QC, H3T 1C5, Canada. Nathalie.orr.gaucher@umontreal.ca.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The management of children with an asthma exacerbation includes timely systemic corticosteroids and frequent short-acting beta-agonist therapy. In selected patients, inhaled short-acting beta-agonist administration by parents may promote comfort, constitute an educational opportunity for the family, and safely reduce provider workload. Our objective was to evaluate parental satisfaction and perceived safety of this new approach. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional study, conducted in a tertiary pediatric ED. We investigated patient and parent perspectives on a newly implemented parental short-acting beta-agonist administration program. A convenience sample of families participating in this program was approached for study enrolment. The primary outcome was the proportion of parents and children who were satisfied with the program. We also evaluated the program's safety and impact on asthma education as reported by parents. RESULTS: From February 2019 to March 2020, 72 of 74 (97%) families approached for enrolment participated in the survey. A vast majority (95%) of parents appreciated the program and 93% would participate again. Among children > 7 years, 86% preferred receiving inhaled short-acting beta-agonist by their parents rather than by a healthcare provider. Nearly all parents (96%) found the program to be "safe" or "very safe". Some participants reported improvements in their inhaler administration technique (25%) and ability to recognize their child's respiratory distress (25%). CONCLUSION: A novel parental short-acting beta-agonist administration program in the pediatric ED was widely appreciated by participating families. Parents perceived it as being safe, educational, and contributing to their child's comfort.
BACKGROUND: The management of children with an asthma exacerbation includes timely systemic corticosteroids and frequent short-acting beta-agonist therapy. In selected patients, inhaled short-acting beta-agonist administration by parents may promote comfort, constitute an educational opportunity for the family, and safely reduce provider workload. Our objective was to evaluate parental satisfaction and perceived safety of this new approach. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional study, conducted in a tertiary pediatric ED. We investigated patient and parent perspectives on a newly implemented parental short-acting beta-agonist administration program. A convenience sample of families participating in this program was approached for study enrolment. The primary outcome was the proportion of parents and children who were satisfied with the program. We also evaluated the program's safety and impact on asthma education as reported by parents. RESULTS: From February 2019 to March 2020, 72 of 74 (97%) families approached for enrolment participated in the survey. A vast majority (95%) of parents appreciated the program and 93% would participate again. Among children > 7 years, 86% preferred receiving inhaled short-acting beta-agonist by their parents rather than by a healthcare provider. Nearly all parents (96%) found the program to be "safe" or "very safe". Some participants reported improvements in their inhaler administration technique (25%) and ability to recognize their child's respiratory distress (25%). CONCLUSION: A novel parental short-acting beta-agonist administration program in the pediatric ED was widely appreciated by participating families. Parents perceived it as being safe, educational, and contributing to their child's comfort.
Authors: Benjamin R Heilbrunn; Rachael E Wittern; Justin B Lee; Phung K Pham; Anita H Hamilton; Alan L Nager Journal: J Emerg Med Date: 2014-09-27 Impact factor: 1.484