Children's Health reports a nearly 50-percent reduction in emergency department visits for kids with a primary diagnosis of asthma due to the collective impact of dedicated asthma management programs, including technology similar to the asthma app, My Asthma Pal.
My Asthma Pal makes it easy for children and families to track the necessary information to help monitor and manage their asthma symptoms effectively over time, playing a major role in how families address asthma.
"With that self-management tool, you have more of the ability to keep your kid out of the ER by being able to give medications when they're supposed to be given, by being able to understand the triggers for your child's asthma and also by being able to have those conversations with your child's regular doctors in terms of what your concerns," said Dr. Angela Moemeka, medical director of community health at Children's Health.
Over the past four years, Children's Health has managed to reduce emergency department visits for asthma by nearly 50 percent.
There are more than 155,000 children in North Texas with asthma.
According to Children's Health, the ER visit reduction is huge for Dallas health care and is due to a myriad of programs and partners like those in the Health and Wellness Alliance for Children.
Experts say nine of the 12 most common asthma triggers are found in most households, including pet dander, dust mites, roach droppings and even household cleaning products.
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Asthma is the most common chronic condition to affect kids under the age of 18 in the U.S., and it is among the top five reasons for emergency department visits in most pediatric centers.
The asthma management program at Children's Health provides in-home asthma evaluations to help families identify triggers that could be exacerbating their child's condition.
You can learn more about asthma programs here.
