Skip to main content
Sign In

Home Future StudentsCurrent StudentsFaculty & StaffPatientsAlumni

 

Asthma/Pulmonary Health

 

One out of ten children has asthma and asthma is the third leading cause of hospitalization among children. Asthma is also one of the most common causes of school absenteeism and the annual cost of asthma treatment in the US more than doubled over the last two decades.

COR’s research in asthma has focused primarily in two directions, examinations of waiting times and processes of care for asthmatics in the emergency room (led by Dr. Sills) and quality improvement and practice redesign efforts in ambulatory settings (spearheaded by Drs. Bunik and Federico).  Research in the ambulatory settings has included evaluations of programs to identify parents who smoke and increase the number who quit and interventions to increase the identification of persistent asthmatics and optimize their subsequent treatment and outcomes using information technology aids.

Current Grants

The Children’s Hospital One Step Second-Hand Smoke Initiative
Principal Investigator: Maya Bunik, MD, MSPH
Funding Agency: State of Colorado Clinical Guidelines Collaborative Tobacco Grants Program (CCGC) and RI Bridge
Funding Amount: $67,000
Term: 2007 – 2010

Emergency Department Overcrowding and Quality of Acute Asthma Care for Children
Principal Investigator: Marion Sills, MD, MPH
Funding Agency: Children’s Hospital Research Institute Bridge Grant
Amount: $32,080
Term: 6/1/08-5/31/10

Emergency Department Overcrowding and Quality of Acute Asthma Care for Children
Principal Investigator: Marion Sills, MD, MPH
Funding Agency: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 1 R03 HS016418-01A1
Amount: $80,000
Term: 7/1/07-6/30/10

The Association between Emergency Department Resources and Pediatric Asthma-Related Quality Indicators
Principal Investigator: Marion Sills, MD, MPH
Funding Agency: American Lung Association Social Behavioral Research Grant SB-35832-N
Amount: $100,000
Term: 7/1/07-6/30/10 

Abstracts

Sills MR, Ranade D, Kahn MG, Fairclough DL. Crowding and time-related outcome measures for patients presenting to a pediatric emergency department for acute asthma exacerbations. Pediatric Academic Societies’ Annual Meeting, Baltimore, May 2009. PAS2009:65: 2814.118.

Bunik M, Herrick D, Puma J Cavanaugh K Crane L. Second Hand Smoke Quality Improvement: The 'One Step Program' in a Teaching Clinic Reduces Parent Smoking. Submitted for presentation at the Pediatric Academic Society Annual Meeting. May, 2010. Vancouver, BC

Presentations

None

Publications

Bunik M, Federico MJ, Beaty B, Rannie M, Olin JT, Kempe A, MD. Quality Improvement for Asthma Care Within a Hospital Based Clinic (in review Academic Pediatrics).

Sills MR, Fairclough D, Ranade D, Kahn MG. Emergency Department Crowding is Associated with Decreased Quality of Care for Children. (in review Pediatrics).