Parental Preference for Short- Versus Long-Course Corticosteroid Therapy in Children With Asthma Presenting to the Pediatric Emergency Department

Asthma is the most common chronic condition affecting children and a prominent chief complaint in pediatric emergency departments (ED). We aimed to determine parental preference between short- and long-term courses of oral corticosteroids for use in children with mild to moderate asthma presenting t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical pediatrics 2013-01, Vol.52 (1), p.30-34
Main Authors: Williams, Kelli W., Andrews, Annie L., Heine, Daniel, Russell, W. Scott, Titus, M. Olivia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asthma
Asthma - drug therapy
Attitude
Child
Child, Preschool
Dexamethasone - administration & dosage
Disease Management
Disease Progression
Drug therapy
Emergency medical care
Emergency Service, Hospital
Female
Glucocorticoids - administration & dosage
Humans
Male
Parents
Pediatrics
Prednisolone - administration & dosage
Prednisone - administration & dosage
Steroids
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Summary:Asthma is the most common chronic condition affecting children and a prominent chief complaint in pediatric emergency departments (ED). We aimed to determine parental preference between short- and long-term courses of oral corticosteroids for use in children with mild to moderate asthma presenting to our pediatric ED with acute asthma exacerbations. We surveyed parents of asthmatic children who presented to our pediatric ED from August 2011 to April 2012. Questions characterized each patient’s asthma severity, assessed parental preference among systemic steroid and inhaled medication delivery options for acute asthma management, and inquired about compliance, medication costs, and intention to follow up. The majority of our parents prefer the use of 1 to 2 days of steroids to 5 days for acute asthma exacerbations in the ED. Thus, dexamethasone is an attractive alternative to prednisone/prednisolone and should be considered in the management of acute asthma exacerbations in the ED.
ISSN:0009-9228
1938-2707
DOI:10.1177/0009922812461441