Implementing an Evidence-Based, Asthma Decision Support Tool for Children Younger Than 5 Years Old

Introduction: Asthma is underdiagnosed, particularly for children younger than 5 years old. Clinical practice guidelines have been shown to improve asthma diagnosis and management, but are underutilized. This evidence-based practice project aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate a three-page decision support tool (DST) to improve the asthma diagnosis process among children younger than 5 years old. Methods: This project used a pre-experimental design and was conducted in a pediatric primary care setting with a predominantly South Asian population. The authors analyzed the utilization of the DST as well as the end-users' perception of the tool. Results: Despite above-average results in the end-users' usability scale, the DST had poor utilization. Discussion: Implementation of the DST is recommended at similar pediatric primary care sites. The EBP Project team recommends translating the DST to the electronic health record and improving the roles of the champion.