Prescription fill patterns in underserved children with asthma receiving subspecialty care.

Background: Children with asthma receiving specialty care have been found to have improved asthma outcomes. However, these outcomes can be adversely affected by poor adherence with controller medications.

Objective: To analyze pharmacy fill patterns as a measure of primary adherence in a group of underserved minority children receiving allergy subspecialty care.

Concordance of Medicaid and pharmacy record data in inner-city children with asthma.

Background: Management of asthma involves adherence to medication regimens. Assessing adherence is difficult for health care providers and researchers. Self-reported medication use is subjective, so objective methods of data collection for medication use are frequently used in asthma research.

Effectiveness of nebulizer use-targeted asthma education on underserved children with asthma.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of a home-based asthma education intervention in increasing appropriate nebulizer use and reducing symptom frequency, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizations over 12 months.

Design: A randomized clinical trial. Settings Pediatric primary care, pulmonary/allergy, and ED practices associated with the University of Maryland Medical System and The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore.