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document
Asthma : communication between hospital and general practitioners . OBJECTIVE To assess whether efforts to actively involve General Practitioners ( GPs ) in the postdischarge care of their paediatric asthma patients improved their satisfaction with communication with hospital staff . METHODOLOGY Randomized controlled trial involving 60 patients admitted to the Royal Children 's Hospital , Melbourne , with acute asthma and an identifiable GP . The GPs of the intervention patients were telephoned during the admission . Intervention patients and their GPs received printed information detailing the care the patient received in hospital and the recommended postdischarge care , as well as standardized educational booklets about asthma . Follow-up appointments were made for intervention patients to attend their GPs . RESULTS The GPs of intervention patients were more satisfied when compared to the GPs receiving a standard level of communication ( 96.4 % vs 48.3 % of the intervention and control GPs , respectively , described the communication as good or extremely good , P = 0.0001 ) . The intervention group GPs believed they were more involved after discharge ( 75.0 % vs 44.8 % , P = 0.005 ) and had greater understanding of their patient 's hospitalisation ( 96.4 % vs 62.1 % , P = 0.005 ) . These differences were noted despite there being no difference in the rate of follow-up attendance with GPs for intervention and control patients ( 85.7 % vs 72.4 % , P = 0.2 ) . Qualitative data supported these findings with GPs expressing approval of the intervention used . CONCLUSION Efforts to actively involve GPs in the postdischarge care of their paediatric patients with asthma resulted in a marked improvement in their satisfaction with the communication with medical staff at the Royal Children 's Hospital , Melbourne . The study had insufficient power to demonstrate a difference in morbidity .
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Intervention_Educational
printed information detailing the care the patient received in hospital and the recommended postdischarge care , as well as standardized educational booklets about asthma
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Intervention_Educational
Follow-up appointments
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Intervention_Educational
intervention
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Outcome_Other
satisfaction with communication with hospital staff
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Outcome_Other
satisfied
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Outcome_Other
believed they were more involved after discharge
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Outcome_Other
understanding of their patient 's hospitalisation
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Outcome_Mental
rate of follow-up attendance
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Outcome_Mental
approval of the intervention used
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Outcome_Other
satisfaction with the communication with medical staff
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Participant_Condition
general practitioners .
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Participant_Age
paediatric
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Participant_Condition
acute asthma
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Participant_Age
paediatric