A computerized surveillance system for asthma

Purpose – Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airways disease characterized by acute exacerbations interspaced by symptom‐free periods. Its management imposes a substantial burden on healthcare services, as well as personal suffering and significant financial tolls. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate links between routinely used computerized databases and to establish an automatic mechanism for monitoring asthma patients.Design/methodology/approach – The study population was all adult subscribers to a major health maintenance organization (HMO) in Southern Israel (230,000 adults, age 20‐65 years). Relevant data for this retrospective analysis (2000 to 2004) were extracted from several computerized databases routinely used in the service: pharmacy; administrative; and each person's personal computerized medical file in the primary care clinic.Findings – Based on data from 72 regional primary care clinics, during the study period, 11,054 adults were treated simultaneously by β2 agonists and steroids – ass...