Improving provider compliance of the NAEPP 2007 asthma guidelines through the electronic health record (EHR) in a pediatric primary care practice

The Expert Panel Report -3 (EPR3) NAEPP 2007 evidence-based clinical asthma guidelines were developed to provide evidence-based high-quality patient care that leads to improved outcomes. A literature review showed that healthcare providers do not routinely follow the asthma guidelines. The purpose of this project was to develop and implement an evidence-based asthma electronic health record (EHR) template in a pediatric office to improve provider compliance to the guidelines resulting in improved outcomes for children with asthma. The study was conducted over a period of four months from January - April 2016. An EHR asthma protocol template and training for providers using a PACE program (physician asthma care education) on current guidelines was provided. A retrospective EHR audit measuring provider’s compliance was performed. Pre/post aggregate data for documentation specific to asthma was collected and analyzed using the chi square method. The outcome objectives from this quality improvement study focused on provider compliance and asthma control. Results indicated the EHR template significantly improved provider documentation in compliance with 7 of the 8 areas measured