How and by whom care is delivered influences anti-inflammatory use in asthma: Results of a national population survey

Background: Studies examining the influence of provider behavior and patterns of care delivery on the use of antiinflammatory asthma therapy have been limited to selected populations or have been unable to assess the appropriateness of therapy for individuals. We have previously reported the influence of sociodemographic variables and asthma severity on reported use of asthma medications in the United States. Objective: We sought to examine the influence of patterns of care delivery and clinician behavioral factors on the use of anti-inflammatory medication by patients with asthma. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional national random digit dial household telephone survey in 1998 of adult patients and parents of children with current asthma. Respondents were classified as having current asthma if they had a physician's diagnosis of asthma and were either taking medication for asthma or had asthma symptoms during the past year. Results: One or more persons met the study criteria for current asthma in 3273 (7.8%) households in which a screening questionnaire was completed. Of the 2509 persons (721 children Conclusion: How asthma care is delivered influences the use of anti-inflammatory medication. Strategies to increase regular evaluation by a physician interested in asthma, particularly for minority patients, and to increase a physician's ability to communicate asthma management to patients might improve use of anti-inflammatory therapy among patients with asthma