This project was based at the University of Malaya in Malaysia Overview Project title: Developing and evaluating interventions at patient and practice level to improve asthma care Acute or chronic: Chronic Based at: University of Malaya Start date: September 2018 End date: December 2020 Principal investigator: Ee Ming Khoo Project team: Norita Hussein, Sazlina Shariff Ghazali, Su May Liew, Nik Sherina Hanafi, Ai Theng Cheong, Ng Chiu Wan, Rizawati Ramli, Azainorsuzila Mohd Ahad, Hilary Pinnock, Richard Parker, Andy Stoddart, Ping Yein Background Asthma is one the most prevalent non-communicable chronic diseases among children and adults in Malaysia. It is, however, neglected. Most patients have poor knowledge about asthma and despite the availability of effective treatment, asthma control is reported to be unsatisfactory. Disease management and prevention is suboptimal and has an impact on the economic burden. As not much is known about what actually contributes to poor asthma control in the region, improving understanding on factors related to disease burden could contribute significantly to improved asthma morbidity. Aim and impact The aim of the study is to establish an asthma cohort of adults and children aged five years and above in six public primary care clinics in the Klang District, Malaysia, to examine their asthma status, healthcare usage and estimate the economic burden related to asthma. The study will also look to develop and assess the feasibility of interventions to reduce the burden of disease. A cohort study on asthma allows a defined population to be followed up for epidemiological, disease risk factors, progression, disease control and exacerbation, monitoring, treatment, adherence, follow-up and quality of care provided to be studied. Risk factors for poor asthma outcomes could be determined to help target the provision of asthma management in the primary care settings. If successful, the intervention could be translated throughout the country in clinics with similar health care resources and to other countries. Key developments A cohort of 1,280 people with asthma, fully characterised and willing to be approached for future research. This cohort is already being used to recruit patients for ongoing studies in Kuala Lumpur. Held an annual meeting with participants including patients, family members, PPI representatives, and healthcare providers, to communicate study findings and discuss challenges and gain feedback to improve patient experience during the study. Project data Download the Data Management Plan, University of Malaya Download the Data Management Plan, Universiti Putra Malaysia View metadata on the cohort development on the Health Data Research Innovation Gateway View metadata from the feasibility trial on the Health Data Research Innovation Gateway This article was published on 2024-09-24
