Prevalence and predictors of annual asthma reviews in Scottish primary care data: an observational study

Background: People with asthma are recommended to have regular reviews in primary care, with assessment of symptoms, adjustment of treatment and self-management processes, and the delivery of a written action plan for emergencies. Aim: To investigate the incidence and factors associated with atten...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Holly Tibble, Alexandria Ming Wai Chung
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Royal College of General Practitioners 2025-04-01
Series:BJGP Open
Subjects:
Online Access:https://bjgpopen.org/content/9/1/BJGPO.2024.0062
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850171478507520000
author Holly Tibble
Alexandria Ming Wai Chung
author_facet Holly Tibble
Alexandria Ming Wai Chung
author_sort Holly Tibble
collection DOAJ
description Background: People with asthma are recommended to have regular reviews in primary care, with assessment of symptoms, adjustment of treatment and self-management processes, and the delivery of a written action plan for emergencies. Aim: To investigate the incidence and factors associated with attendance of annual asthma reviews. Design & setting: This observational study used electronic health records for 49 307 patients in Scotland with asthma between 1 January 2000 and 31 March 2017. The analysis population of 13 726 patients had at least five asthma-related encounters between 2008 and 2016. Method: Multivariable logistic regression was employed, using linked primary care prescription data and primary care registration demographic data. Results: There was a median of 381 days between subsequent reviews. Reviews in the index year were strongly associated with reviews in the following year (odds ratio [OR] 1.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.68 to 1.84). In contrast, asthma consultations (excluding reviews) in the index year were associated with lower odds of having a review in the following year (OR 0.48, 95% CI = 0.46 to 0.51). Those aged 18–35 years in the index year or those with missing addresses in the practice registration data were the least likely groups to have an asthma review in the following year. Conclusion: Reviewing the delivery of asthma care identifies patients who may be slipping through the gaps by receiving only reactive asthma care rather than the structured, preventive care that can be delivered through annual reviews. Understanding the risk factors for not receiving an annual review can be leveraged to create more effective review invitations, such as explaining the specific content of reviews, introducing new contact methods to improve health equity, and reviewing the algorithm used to determine who is invited.
format Article
id doaj-art-01c9b17ea5c4467e9870e2da64b7585c
institution OA Journals
issn 2398-3795
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher Royal College of General Practitioners
record_format Article
series BJGP Open
spelling doaj-art-01c9b17ea5c4467e9870e2da64b7585c2025-08-20T02:20:16ZengRoyal College of General PractitionersBJGP Open2398-37952025-04-019110.3399/BJGPO.2024.0062Prevalence and predictors of annual asthma reviews in Scottish primary care data: an observational studyHolly Tibble0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7169-4087Alexandria Ming Wai Chung1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5221-5570Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UKUsher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UKBackground: People with asthma are recommended to have regular reviews in primary care, with assessment of symptoms, adjustment of treatment and self-management processes, and the delivery of a written action plan for emergencies. Aim: To investigate the incidence and factors associated with attendance of annual asthma reviews. Design & setting: This observational study used electronic health records for 49 307 patients in Scotland with asthma between 1 January 2000 and 31 March 2017. The analysis population of 13 726 patients had at least five asthma-related encounters between 2008 and 2016. Method: Multivariable logistic regression was employed, using linked primary care prescription data and primary care registration demographic data. Results: There was a median of 381 days between subsequent reviews. Reviews in the index year were strongly associated with reviews in the following year (odds ratio [OR] 1.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.68 to 1.84). In contrast, asthma consultations (excluding reviews) in the index year were associated with lower odds of having a review in the following year (OR 0.48, 95% CI = 0.46 to 0.51). Those aged 18–35 years in the index year or those with missing addresses in the practice registration data were the least likely groups to have an asthma review in the following year. Conclusion: Reviewing the delivery of asthma care identifies patients who may be slipping through the gaps by receiving only reactive asthma care rather than the structured, preventive care that can be delivered through annual reviews. Understanding the risk factors for not receiving an annual review can be leveraged to create more effective review invitations, such as explaining the specific content of reviews, introducing new contact methods to improve health equity, and reviewing the algorithm used to determine who is invited.https://bjgpopen.org/content/9/1/BJGPO.2024.0062asthmahealth promotionlarge database researchprimary health care
spellingShingle Holly Tibble
Alexandria Ming Wai Chung
Prevalence and predictors of annual asthma reviews in Scottish primary care data: an observational study
BJGP Open
asthma
health promotion
large database research
primary health care
title Prevalence and predictors of annual asthma reviews in Scottish primary care data: an observational study
title_full Prevalence and predictors of annual asthma reviews in Scottish primary care data: an observational study
title_fullStr Prevalence and predictors of annual asthma reviews in Scottish primary care data: an observational study
title_full_unstemmed Prevalence and predictors of annual asthma reviews in Scottish primary care data: an observational study
title_short Prevalence and predictors of annual asthma reviews in Scottish primary care data: an observational study
title_sort prevalence and predictors of annual asthma reviews in scottish primary care data an observational study
topic asthma
health promotion
large database research
primary health care
url https://bjgpopen.org/content/9/1/BJGPO.2024.0062
work_keys_str_mv AT hollytibble prevalenceandpredictorsofannualasthmareviewsinscottishprimarycaredataanobservationalstudy
AT alexandriamingwaichung prevalenceandpredictorsofannualasthmareviewsinscottishprimarycaredataanobservationalstudy