Purpose
To enhance existing asthma home visiting programs by delivering evidence-based asthma strategies in communities disproportionately affected.
Description
The Home Visiting Collaborative (HVC) is made up of three asthma home visiting programs from across the state of Illinois. These programs provide asthma care services to communities with high asthma prevalence and asthma-related adverse health outcomes. HVC uses community health workers, nurses, and health educators, trained in asthma self-management education (AS-ME) and home visits to provide intensive AS-ME to patients.
Home visitors provide multi-component home visiting services that are designed to be culturally appropriate and tailored to the needs of patients. They use a standardized assessment tool to guide action and to collect health outcome measures, such as symptom control and asthma severity, quality of life, school or work absenteeism, and health care utilization. Home visiting services include evidence-based AS-ME, referral to the Illinois Tobacco Quitline, linkages to community support services, coordination of care, and assistance with asthma trigger remediation
Early Impact
Since 2019, more than 250 people with asthma and their caregivers have benefitted from asthma home visiting services. Evaluation findings reflect benefits such as receiving AS-ME, improved asthma control and quality of life, and reduction in unplanned health care utilization.
- 74% report a reduction in asthma triggers after one visit
- Asthma Control Test scores improve after one visit
- 14% report fewer missed school or work days
- 12% report fewer emergency department visits
- 4% report fewer hospitalizations