Promoting Asthma Management Guidelines With Technology-Based Intervention and Care Coordination in Clinics and Schools

The research team will conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial, enrolling 420 children, ages 4-12, from 18 Montefiore clinics during office visits. Children in the intervention group (PRAGMATIC-S) will receive updated guideline-based care prompts, with providers completing the medication administration form (MAF), electronically signing it, and routing it directly to the school via the EHR system. Asthma Outreach Worker (AOW) care coordination will support daily adherence to prescribed treatments at home and school. Children in the control group will receive enhanced usual care, which includes EHR prompts for guideline-based care but without the additional PRAGMATIC-S components.

Participants will be followed for 12 months. Outcomes will be assessed as outlined in this registration.

Inclusion criteria

• Physician-diagnosed asthma documented in EHR
• Persistent asthma, not on controller medications or uncontrolled asthma despite therapy (with any one of the following per age-specific guidelines: in past month, >2 days/week with symptoms, >2 days/week using rescue medication, >2 days/month with nighttime symptoms, or >2 episodes/year that required systemic corticosteroids
• Age 4 to 12 years, inclusive, attending pre-kindergarten through 7th grade in public / charter / private schools in New York City (the Bronx primarily) and also schools in lower Hudson Valley (Eastchester, Westchester, Rockland, Yonkers)
• Caregiver is able to speak and understand either English or Spanish. Participants unable to read will be eligible as all surveys will be administered verbally by research personnel
• Consent from primary caregiver and assent from child (age ≥7 years). If there are eligible siblings with exact same asthma severity/control screening results, one child will be randomly selected to participate, otherwise the sibling with worse asthma symptoms will be selected.
• Presence of a phone to conduct surveys and smartphone, iPad or computer to electronically complete and e-sign MAF

Exclusion criteria

• Family plans to leave school or city within 6 months
• Significant medical conditions (e.g., congenital heart disease, cystic fibrosis, or other chronic lung disease)
• Children in foster care or other situations in which consent cannot be obtained from a legal guardian
• Participation in concurrent asthma intervention study
• Severe developmental delay (e.g., severe autism) precluding completion of asthma control questionnaire