Rhode Island Asthma Integrated Response Program

The RI-AIR initiative involves the development, implementation, and evaluation of an integrated identification, screening, and referral network for children with asthma in Rhode Island. This will be made possible through a partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Health and additional funding from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to establish a Center for Asthma Empowerment. The Rhode Island Asthma Collaborative will facilitate data collection and referral to our evidence-based asthma programs for low-income families and will be implemented in school and home settings. It also involves an evaluation of the effectiveness of the program, through the assessment of individual and community-level asthma outcomes, and an annual process evaluation and assessment of future sustainability.

 

Specific Aims and Future Goals

To evaluate the effectiveness of the RI-AIR intervention

During Years 2-4, we will provide our intervention sequentially to communities identified as high-risk through geospatial mapping of asthma health-care utilization. We will include sixteen high-risk communities, involving 1500 urban, ethnically diverse children (aged two to twelve years) with asthma and their families. We will evaluate both individual-level outcomes based on intervention participation, and community-specific outcomes. 

To conduct a multilevel process evaluation of RI AIR Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices during implementation

During Years 2-5 we will assess penetration within identified communities and school districts and evaluate characteristics of families that accept and complete the intervention versus those who do not. We will determine fidelity of the RI-AIR IDS technology platform in assigning interventions according to asthma control/risk, as well as treatment fidelity and dose delivered by the HARP and CASE programs. We will use focus groups and provider surveys to determine facilitators of and barriers to effective implementation. 

To conduct a mixed-methods evaluation of the sustainability of the RI-AIR initiative

During years 5-6, we will conduct a mixed methods evaluation, where we define sustainability as continued capacity, continued activities (e.g. ongoing program implementation after the active trial), and continued benefits (e.g. sustained health outcomes and benefits to systems of care).

Future Goals, Outcomes and Next Steps

The study began in September 2018 and the anticipated end date is August 2022. Out target for enrollment is 1500 children and their families. The outcomes that will be reported include number of families enrolled and an evaluation on the effectiveness and sustainability of the RI-AIR Program.