Capitol News

Michigan State University (MSU) research has unveiled the potential benefits of school-based asthma therapy (SBAT), showing significant health improvements and cost savings for students. This program allows school nurses to administer asthma medication to students, ensuring they adhere to their prescribed treatment while at school. This intervention is especially beneficial as nearly 5 million children in the United States suffer from asthma, a condition manageable with regular use of anti-inflammatory medications.

Kimberly Arcoleo, a professor at MSU College of Nursing and lead investigator of the study, explained the program's methodology. "We help families get better adherence to kids’ asthma control medication regimens by having the school nurses give them their meds on the days that they go to school," she said. Students involved in the program have dual inhalers, one for school and one for home, to ease the logistics of taking medication daily.

The research, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: Global, presented findings from Columbus, Ohio, highlighting substantial reductions in medical emergencies among participating students aged 5 to 19. The program, funded by the National Institutes of Health, showed that SBAT could save $5,000 to $7,000 annually per student in medical costs, despite an initial average cost of $1,500 per student.

Arcoleo emphasized the dramatic health benefits observed. "In one year, for 633 students, we were able to reduce emergency department visits by 49%, urgent care visits by 41%, hospitalizations by 50% and pediatric intensive care unit admissions by 71%," she said. As schools establish the program, costs decrease substantially, with preliminary analyses indicating a reduction from $3,000 to $500 per student annually.

The financial savings extend to significant reductions in healthcare expenses, with acute care visits costing $100 each and emergency department visits averaging $1,993. Annual savings from reduced medical interventions summed up to over $3.4 million.

Parents attest to fewer hospital visits and less time away from work, with some reporting no emergency healthcare visits for nearly a year. SBAT participants also benefit from less missed instructional time and fewer behavioral incidents. "For the elementary school kids, we decreased their missed instructional time by 16%," Arcoleo noted. "And for the kids in middle school and high school, we decreased their missed instructional time by 25%."

Looking ahead, Arcoleo and her team are conducting a comprehensive economic evaluation to encompass medical costs, staff time, and caregiver absenteeism. They anticipate publishing further findings later in the year.