Preventable factors in children admitted to hospital and previously diagnosed with asthma (n = 250)
| No (%) of children | |
|---|---|
| Failure to use the asthma crisis management plan | 238 (95) |
| Low level of asthma knowledge | 128 (51) |
| Inappropriate preventive treatment | 77 (31) |
| Poor compliance with preventive treatment | 52 (21) |
| Not using prednisolone before the current admission, in spite of an attack lasting >24 h and use of β2 agonists more often than every 3 h just before coming to hospital | 44 (18) |
| Not visiting a physician regularly (at least every three months) in children with FEA and PA | 41 (16) |
| Delay of >12 h in starting β2 agonists at home after onset of asthma symptoms | 37 (15) |
| Delay of >24 h in seeking medical care after starting β2 agonists at home, despite their use more often than every 3 h just before coming to hospital | 26 (10) |
FEA = frequent episodic asthma; PA = persistent asthma.