Asthma Care and Occupational Therapy

Asthma inhibits quality of life. Reducing environmental triggers reduces asthma
symptoms. Occupational therapy (OT) practitioners are trained to assess and modify physical environments, a cost-effective intervention that may improve outcomes for youth with asthma. This study examines practitioners’ perceptions on:

1) Their role to support youth with asthma in clinical practice

2) Feasibility and acceptability of an OT home assessment

3) The impact of asthma on occupational participation

What We Know:  

Impacts ~ 4.2 million children in the U.S. with poor and racial minority children disproportionately affected

For all ages, costs > $82 billion annually

There are known common triggers and effective environmental modifications

Occupational Impact:

↑ Missed school days 
↑ Nights of troubled sleep
↓ Occupational participation and QOL  

Home Assessments:

  • ↑ symptom management
  • ↓ healthcare utilization
  • Cost-effective
  • Consider environmental impact on health
  • May be covered by Medicaid or organizations like Allergy and Asthma Foundation

Why are OTPs ideal members of an asthma care team?

  • Multi-setting access
  • Holistic Care
  • Experts in remediation & prevention
  • Reimbursable services

= Improved health outcomes and increased accessibility to services

See handout for AOTA 2023 Poster 8-307:
Role of OT in Supporting Youth With Asthma: A Survey of Pediatric OTs
DOWNLOAD HERE

See AOTA 2023 Poster 8-307:
Role of OT in Supporting Youth with Asthma: A Survey of Pediatric OTs
DOWNLOAD HERE


References

  • American Lung Association. (2002). State Medicaid Coverage for Asthma Home Visits & Interventions. Lung.org. https://www.lung.org/getmedia/fbfb274e-d3cb-4883-96bb-aff499daad77/Home-Visits-May-2022.pdf
  • American Lung Association. (2022b). Asthma Care Coverage update in 2022 [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6nLHNlpb7k&feature=youtu.be
  • Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. (2020). Asthma Disparities in America: A roadmap to Reducing Burden on Racial and Ethnic Minorities. Retrieved February 13,2023, from https://aafa.org/asthmadisparities
  • Campbell, J.D., Brooks, M., Hosokawa, P., Robinson, J., Song, L., Krieger, J. (2015). Community health worker home visits for Medicaid-enrolled children with asthma: Effects on asthma outcomes and cost. American Journal of Public Health, 105(11), 2366-2372. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2015.302685
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Most Recent National Asthma Data. In Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved March 3, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/most_recent_national_asthma_data.htm#print
  • Güzel, H., Saglam, M., Pekcetin, S., Yagli, N.V., Boyaci, H. (2021). Occupational competence and activities of daily living performance in bronchial asthma. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 88(3), 214-219. https://doi.org/10.1177/00084174211022883
  • Jezioro, J. R., Gutman, S.A., Lovinsky-Desir, S., Rauh, V., Perera, F.P., & Miller, R.L. (2021). A comparison of activity participation between children with and without asthma. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 9(3), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.1813
  • Kercsmar, C.M., Dearborn, D.G., Schluchter, M., Xue, L., Kirchner, H.L., Sobolewski, J., Greenberg, S.J., Vesper, S.J., & Allan, T. (2006). Reduction in asthma morbidity in children as a result in home remediation aimed at moisture sources. Environmental Health Perspectives, 114(10), 1574-1580. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.8742