Attending physician Dr. Marina Reznik at Montefiore has received a new $4.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study kids’ asthma care management in primary care with the use of their EHR.
The five-year research study aims to increase adherence to national asthma management guidelines and improve clinical outcomes for children with the chronic illness. The project will also assess whether a practical system change might help children and caregivers in urban areas adhere to the guidelines.
“Asthma disproportionately affects low-income, minority children living in inner cities such as the Bronx,” said Dr. Reznik in a statement. “The use of national guidelines by healthcare providers reduces asthma-related complications by 70 percent, yet these guidelines are not used consistently. The goal of this effort is to elicit an in-depth conversation between providers and patients/families that will enable us to more effectively manage children’s asthma and curb care inconsistencies.”
Research Grant Details
The new NIH grant will allow Dr. Reznik to lead a rigorous randomized trial in 20 Montefiore Medical Group outpatient sites to find out why national asthma management guidelines aren’t being used. The goal is to improve clinical outcomes of children ages 2-12 years old with persistent or uncontrolled asthma.
The study, which launches this month, will use new EHR software to alert doctors, through enhanced computer prompts, to ask a nationally recognized set of questions to assess asthma severity and control. The prompts will also guide physicians in their decision-making process on how to best address and control the patient’s asthma. In addition, caregivers of children with persistent severe asthma will receive enhanced education, care coordination and support to overcome barriers to guideline-based care.
Marina Reznik, M.D., M.S., attending pediatrician, Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics,Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, (CHAM) is a prolific researcher who has authored more than 50 articles, book chapters, and editorials on the development and evaluation of community and school-based interventions to improve healthcare services and outcomes for medically underserved children. The study, funded by this NIH grant, builds on a breadth of asthma research conducted by Dr. Reznik and the team at CHAM, including 2013 research published in the journal, Asthma, which found that caregivers often administer asthma medication improperly, which can lead to continuing or worsening symptoms.
