Copyright ERS Journals Ltd 1996 European Respiratory Journal

ABSTRACT: The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether criteria associated with assignment of asthma patients between general practice (GP) care alone, integrated care (shared between GP care and hospital clinic) or conven-tional specialist review could be identified, and whether outcomes for these patients differed over the next 12 months. Seven hundred and sixty four patients with a diagnosis of asthma and previ-ously assigned to either integrated care or clinic care were reviewed after 1 year and reassigned. These patients were then followed for another 12 months and clini-cal data were collected over this time. After 12 months in clinic care or integrated care, assignment to integrated care was predicted by previous participation in integrated care (OR 2.94), patient preference for integrated care (OR 3.7), no admission (OR 1.56), fewer steroid courses during the previous year (OR 0.88) and nonattendance at review (OR 0.43) in the previous 12 months. Patient discharge to GP care was predicted by higher level of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) (OR 1.49), lowe