News

Press Release: DC Asthma Coalition Set to Capitalize on Latest Trend in Self Care

Gurnee, IL (July 13, 2004) - The DC Asthma Coalition will be supplying ethnographically-developed kits for managing asthma to families in the Washington, D.C. area with children suffering from this life-threatening condition, the most common diagnosis for pediatric hospital admissions and emergency room visits. The kits are a product of Careguide Systems, Inc., which applies techniques of new product design and market behavior modification common in other industries to the problem of compliance in health care. The company develops and markets a variety of self-care kits for managing chronic health problems and for post-surgical healing.

The Careguide Asthma Kit reflects seven years of research and testing to capture the patients' point of view on managing asthma, thereby overcoming barriers to compliance. Careguide's experts in health literacy and ethnography have developed step-by-step instructions and conducted consumer tests to determine the most user-friendly tools for self care, including a personal health journal, a peak flow meter, holding chamber, mattress and pillow encasings and even a coloring book that helps children understand and prevent asthma attacks. In two controlled studies, the Careguide Asthma Kit has reduced a hospitalÕs ER visits for asthma by 72% and saved a major corporation $2 million.

"The asthma kits will support our goal to reduce hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and school absences," says Lisa A. Gilmore, executive director of the DC Asthma Coalition (DCAC). "They will contribute to an improved quality of life for young asthma sufferers and their families."

"For decades, consumer-oriented corporations such as Maytag, Kimberly-Clark and virtually all automotive manufacturers have used the qualitative research techniques of ethnography to modify their products and instructions for end users," says Sylvia Aruffo, PhD, Executive Director of Careguide's Institute for Ethnography in Communication. "Until now, however, the concept has been unknown in health care."

According to the Centers for Disease Control, asthma is responsible for 14 million missed school days annually. In 2000, children under 18 accounted for more than 728,000 asthma-related visits to emergency rooms.

The DC Asthma Coalition (DCAC) is funding an initial project of more than 200 kits for the Coalition's Collaborative Intervention Demonstration Project. The asthma kits will be given to families with children ages 3 to 12 who are enrolled in the project. Community health workers will assess the home environment and train the families how to use the kits. They will answer any questions on the diagnosis and monitoring of care for children with asthma.

The DCAC is a partnership of more than 45 health, social service, government, corporate, and community organizations working to empower children and their families to manage and prevent asthma symptoms. Its mission is to create a sustainable model for asthma care. Visit www.DCasthma.org.

Careguide Systems, based in Gurnee, IL, conducts qualitative research on psychological, physical and social barriers to self-care, applying that research to the development of literature and products that engage patients in successful self management. Hospitals, health plans and disease management organizations use the research services and products to reduce hospital readmissions and returns to the emergency room while dramatically improving patient satisfaction and quality of life. Visit www.carekit.com.
# # #

Contact
Shirley Grey, MSN EVP
sgrey@communicationscience.com
847-850-7500

Other News

LifeCare^®'s New SelfCareKits^SM Far More Effective at Cutting Healthcare Expenses Than Disease Management

News Release: AvMed Health Plans' Care Management and Health Improvement Programs Receive Quality "Distinction" Award from NCQA

Press Release: US Armed Forces Family Health Plan Enlists Careguide^®

Press Release: DC Asthma Coalition Set to Capitalize on Latest Trend in Self Care

News Release: Consorta Contracts for Patient Self Care Training System Offers Proven Solution to Reduce Readmissions