Public Health Strategies in Asthma and their Effectiveness in Primary Health Care

GANOA Foundation, Asma Northwest Argentina Group, 2 Ministry of Health of the Province of Tucumán, 3 Asthma Right Care Coordinator. ArgentinaA large percentage of patients with asthma are treated for by Primary Health Care (PHC). Training and intervention in PHC health professionals is required to improve the diagnosis of asthma, which impacts t access to adequate therapy and improves the control and reduction of exacerbations in this population. Public Health Programs in Respiratory Diseases can provide an organized framework for achieving these goals. We evaluated the effectiveness of intervention from a Public Health Program in the Province of Tucumán, Argentina, in Primary Care CentersResults: The population of patients attending Primary Care in the Province of Tucumán was evaluated and 8 centers were selected as a representative sample of the different operational areas. Characteristics of the asthmatic population: predominance of female sex 58%, prevalent age range in pediatric population between 5 and 10 years and adults between 45 and 65 years. 1 or more comorbidities were present in 50%. The diagnosis of asthma in the year prior to the intervention was 1757 and increased to 3002 the year after. Previous mortality was 19 patients and only 1 postintervention. After the intervention, a significant decrease in asthma attacks, hospitalization for asthma, use of systemic corticosteroids, as well as an improvement in the indication for correct treatment for asthma was observed.Conclusions: An organized and systematic intervention from a Public Health Program to Primary Care is effective in improving the diagnosis of asthma and evaluating the type of asthmatic population that attends PHC. This provides tools to health decision-makers to intervene with appropriate therapies and improve the quality of life of patients with asthma.