Literature Review: Prediction Modeling of Emergency Department Disposition Decisions for Children with Acute Asthma Exacerbations

Emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalization are common, costly and the greatest disease burden to children with asthma. Admission rates for asthma vary substantially by site and ED provider. Disease heterogeneity and ED provider uncertainty surrounding likelihood of successful discharge contribute to potentially avoidable hospitalizations. New approaches to improve ED disposition decision-making could improve patient care and reduce waste associated with unnecessary hospitalizations. Several asthma severity scores and asthma prediction models have been evaluated for their ability to predict ED disposition for childhood asthma. Our objective is to review prior studies that modeled predictors of disposition outcomes for children treated in ED settings for acute asthma exacerbations.