Above 6th Grade

This review identifies economic values of home-based, multi-trigger, multi-component interventions with an environmental focus and presents ranges for the main economic outcomes (e.g., program costs, benefit-cost ratios and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios). A previous review concluded that these interventions were effective in reducing asthma morbidity among children and adolescents. Of the 1,551 studies identified for inclusion in the review, 13 were selected. Each of these had program costs ranging from $231-$14,858 per participant per year.  This range was affected by completeness of their program cost data, level of intensity of the environmental remediation, the type of educational component included, the professional status of the home visitor and the frequency of visits by the home visitor. The study ultimately found that the benefits from these kinds of interventions can "match or even exceed their program costs" and that "these programs provide a good value for dollars spent on the interventions."

Ozone and Your Patients' Health is a short, evidence-based training course designed for family practice doctors, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, asthma educators and other medical professionals who counsel patients about asthma and respiratory symptoms. This course is a short, evidence-based training that:

• Describes the physiological mechanisms responsible for the lung function changes and symptoms caused by exposure to ground-level ozone
• Describes the relationships observed between ground-level ozone and other adverse health effects
• Discusses in detail the effects of ozone exposure on patients with asthma
• Helps health care providers advise their patients about exposure to ozone
• Provides practical Patient Education Tools to help patients understand what triggers their symptoms and how to alleviate them

This Enduring Material activity, Ozone and Your Patients' Health, has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 1.50 Prescribed credit(s) by the American Academy of Family Physicians. AAFP certification begins December 15, 2011. Term of approval is for two years from this date with the option of yearly renewal. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.