Regular follow-up visits reduce the risk for asthma exacerbation requiring admission in Korean adults with asthma

Abstract

[...]many studies have revealed that subjects with good adherence to medication use were at reduced risk for asthma exacerbation and mortality as compared with subjects with poor adherence [10–12]. [...]clinicians have attempted to increase adherence to obtain a better prognosis by using inhaler reminders, good partnership, and intensive patient education and training [13, 14]. Old age, male sex, subjects without medical aid insurance, tertiary hospital type attendance, a higher Charlson comorbidity index, and admission with exacerbated asthma in the previous year were significant predictive factors for asthma exacerbation requiring admission. [...]we found that frequent hospital visits was factor protecting against asthma exacerbation requiring general ward admission (OR 0.48; 95% CI 0.47–0.50; P < 0.001), ER utilization (OR 0.83; 95% CI 0.79–0.86; P < 0.001), and ICU admission (OR 0.49; 95% CI 0.44–0.54; P < 0.001) (Table 5). [...]the primary hospital is generally more accessible, implies lower cost, and greater convenience. [...]the role of the general practitioner at primary hospitals in encouraging asthma patients to participate in regular and frequent follow-up visits is important. [...]the operational definition of “asthma exacerbation” used in this study may contain a small number of patients who were admitted to the hospital for other reasons.