Increasing Childhood Asthma Care Appointments on a Mobile Asthma Van

Children in two communities of a large city in the Midwestern United States have higher rates of asthma than other areas of the city. The communities have barriers to accessing care, including high rates of unemployment and being uninsured and undocumented. A mobile van provides no-cost asthma care to children at schools in these communities, but use of these services has decreased more than 50% over the past 5 years. School nurses have the potential to improve asthma outcomes by collaborating with health-care providers. The purpose of the program was to increase the number of appointments scheduled and attended on the asthma van at both schools. For this program, we (a) implemented an unaccompanied minor consent, (b) enhanced care coordination, and (c) improved a respiratory health survey tool. Results showed an increased number of appointments scheduled and attended on the asthma van. The program was successful even though community-specific barriers existed.

Automated summary

Research conducted in two communities in a large city in the Midwest of the United States found higher rates of asthma among children in these communities, who also faced barriers to access healthcare. By providing no-cost asthma care through a mobile van at schools, appointments scheduled and attended increased, resulting in improved asthma outcomes for the children.