None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Wheezing is a common presentation in young children. The 2 most common conditions that can cause wheezing are asthma and viral- induced wheeze (caused by viruses). However, in pre-school children (less than 6 years old), the diagnosis of asthma can often be very controversial as majority of the patients who present with pre-school wheeze do not develop asthma. However, it is still highly recommended that these groups of children be provided with an asthma action plan for symptom management in the community. Currently at The Northern Hospital and other units, children who are diagnosed with a viral-induced wheeze are given an asthma action plan prior to going home. This has not only caused confusion amongst parents as to the diagnosis and management of their child’s wheezing, but causes a lot of difficulty on the part of the medical and nursing staff in explaining how their child does not have a diagnosis of asthma. In this project, we aim to determine if providing the parents with a PRE-SCHOOL WHEEZE ACTION PLAN is less confusing guide for parents in managing their child’s symptoms at home.
Interventions
Children who are less than 6 years old who present with wheezing to the Emergency Department, or admitted to Children’s ward or Paediatric Short Stay Unit, will be recruited by medical or nursing staff. Each child will then be randomly assigned to provision of either Asthma Action Plan (AAP) or Pre-school Wheeze Action Plan (PSWAP). Discharge instructions will be given according to the action plan each child has been assigned to. The discharging medical or nursing staff will then answer a 5-minu
Children who are less than 6 years old who present with wheezing to the Emergency Department, or admitted to Children’s ward or Paediatric Short Stay Unit, will be recruited by medical or nursing staff. Each child will then be randomly assigned to provision of either Asthma Action Plan (AAP) or Pre-school Wheeze Action Plan (PSWAP). Discharge instructions will be given according to the action plan each child has been assigned to. The discharging medical or nursing staff will then answer a 5-minute questionnaire to determine satisfaction and ease of discharge instructions. The family of each child will be contacted at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and then 3 months via telephone to answer a 5-minute questionnaire to determine parent satisfaction & understanding of their child’s condition in relation to the action plan, as well as adherence to the action plan.
Sponsors
Northern Health
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Caregiver, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
9 Months to 6 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Children less than 6 years of age Presents with primary complaint of wheezing Present to The Northern Hospital Emergency Department, Paediatric Short Stay Unit, or Children’s Ward.
Exclusion criteria
Children more than 6 years of age Those who are maintained on inhaled corticosteroids or other preventor medications Wheezing that is concomitant with other disease entities such as bronchiolitis or pneumonia Those who decline to participate Non english speaking background
Outcome results
None listed