Evidence map›Paper›PMID 16877690›Full record

ArticleThorax2006

A 10 year asthma programme in Finland: major change for the better.

T Haahtela, L E Tuomisto, A Pietinalho, T Klaukka, M Erhola, M Kaila, M M Nieminen, E Kontula, L A Laitinen

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Thorax, 2006. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 152 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
152citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

152 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. A systematic review of predictive models for asthma development in children.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2015
    Pooled it
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  6. Chronic disease management programmes for adults with asthma.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2015
    Pooled it
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  20. The use of precision medicine for asthma.Frontiers in medicine · 2025
    Article

92 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

T HaahtelaSkin and Allergy Hospital, Helsinki University Central Hospital, P O Box 160, FIN-00029 HUS, Finland. tari.haahtela@hus.fi
L E Tuomisto
A Pietinalho
T Klaukka
M Erhola
M Kaila
M M Nieminen
E Kontula
L A Laitinen

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundA National Asthma Programme was undertaken in Finland from 1994 to 2004 to improve asthma care and prevent an increase in costs. The main goal was to lessen the burden of asthma to individuals and society.

methodsThe action programme focused on implementation of new knowledge, especially for primary care. The main premise underpinning the campaign was that asthma is an inflammatory disease and requires anti-inflammatory treatment from the outset. The key for implementation was an effective network of asthma-responsible professionals and development of a post hoc evaluation strategy. In 1997 Finnish pharmacies were included in the Pharmacy Programme and in 2002 a Childhood Asthma mini-Programme was launched.

resultsThe incidence of asthma is still increasing, but the burden of asthma has decreased considerably. The number of hospital days has fallen by 54% from 110 000 in 1993 to 51 000 in 2003, 69% in relation to the number of asthmatics (n = 135 363 and 207 757, respectively), with the trend still downwards. In 1993, 7212 patients of working age (9% of 80 133 asthmatics) received a disability pension from the Social Insurance Institution compared with 1741 in 2003 (1.5% of 116 067 asthmatics). The absolute decrease was 76%, and 83% in relation to the number of asthmatics. The increase in the cost of asthma (compensation for disability, drugs, hospital care, and outpatient doctor visits) ended: in 1993 the costs were 218 million euro which had fallen to 213.5 million euro in 2003. Costs per patient per year have decreased 36% (from 1611 euro to 1031 euro).

conclusionIt is possible to reduce the morbidity of asthma and its impact on individuals as well as on society. Improvements would have taken place without the programme, but not of this magnitude.

Indexed as

AdultAnti-Asthmatic AgentsAsthmaChildCommunicationCost of IllnessEmergency TreatmentFinlandHealth PromotionHospitalizationHumansIncidenceInsurance, DisabilityInterprofessional RelationsNational Health ProgramsPersons with DisabilitiesAnti-Asthmatic Agents

Identifiers

PMID16877690
PMCPMC2104683

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.