A comparative analysis of asthma admission outcomes: Impact of asthma specialist nurse intervention

<bold>Introduction:</bold> Current guidelines recommend an asthma specialist nurse (ASN) review during asthma admission. In tertiary asthma services, ASN time can be focused on patients known to the service and their review during in-patient episodes. <bold>Methods:</bold> Data were collected retrospectively from January 2023 to June 2023. A cohort of 150 patients admitted with asthma were reviewed; 97 (65%) were reviewed by an ASN during admission, and 53 (35%) were not. Of the ASN-reviewed group, 43 (44%) were under tertiary asthma care. Data on the review of inhaler technique, inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) on discharge, readmissions, and follow-up appointments within six months were collected. <bold>Results:</bold> ASN-reviewed patients had higher rates of documented inhaler technique assessment (94% vs 9%), documented ICS on discharge (85% vs 43%), and specialist follow-up (76% vs 32%), but higher readmission rates (30% overall, 20% for non-tertiary asthma patient’s vs 19% for non-ASN-reviewed patients) within six months. <bold>Conclusion:</bold> This study emphasises the importance of ASN review during asthma admission: ASN review had higher rates of follow-up, inhaler technique assessment, and ICS on discharge. Readmission rates remain high; increasing focus on the review of non-tertiary patients and offering more patient-initiated follow-up may help reduce readmission rates.