Link between the university and the public health care system: systematic intervention on assistance to patients with asthma

• Grant number: 09/53225-4
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research in Public Policies for the National Health Care System (PP-SUS)
• Start date: July 01, 2010
• End date: December 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Agreement: CNPq - PPSUS
• Principal Investigator: Luisa Karla de Paula Arruda
• Grantee: Luisa Karla de Paula Arruda
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in the world. In Brazil, the prevalence of asthma symptoms among school children is around 20%, however asthma is still under-diagnosed in our area. The present Project is aimed to establish a partnership among the School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto and the Basic Health Units of the Prefeitura Municipal de Ribeirão Preto to act synergistically with the health care professionals, capacitating non-specialist physicians, pharmacists, nurses, nurse attendants, and health community agents on the diagnosis and management of patients with asthma. In addition, to initiate a vast educational action on asthma directed to the city general population, focusing on recognizing signs and symptoms of asthma, informing about long term prevention treatment, and about risks associated with asthma. A general program to capacitate health care professionals of all Basic Health Units of the Prefeitura, focusing the education of non-specialist physicians, will be carried out, and it will include delivery of lectures, production and release of videos, CDs, didactic material and clinical and regulatory protocols on asthma. In one of the five health Districts, the North District, a personalized program will be performed in parallel to the general program, by which each one of the researchers will ‘adopt’ a Basic Unit and will develop activities which include: accompanying the non-specialist physician on patients visits to the clinic, assistance by phone or e-mail for patients management questions, case discussions of asthma, short lectures to the health professional in the Unit about asthma. The outcome measures will be: emergency room visits for asthma and asthma medications consumption. The intervention proposed in the present study may result in a decrease in morbidity and mortality due to asthma, and in a marked improvement of the quality of life of patients with asthma. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MELO, JANAINA; MORENO, ADRIANA; FERRIANI, VIRGINIA; ARAUJO, ANA CARLA; VIANNA, ELCIO; BORGES, MARCOS; ROXO, JR., PERSIO; GONCALVES, MARCOS; MELLO, LUANE; PARREIRA, ROSA; et al. University and public health system partnership: A real-life intervention to improve asthma management. JOURNAL OF ASTHMA, v. 54, n. 4, p. 411-418, 2017. (09/53225-4)