Algorithm for asthma diagnosis and management at Chitungwiza Central Hospital, Zimbabwe

INTRODUCTION: asthma is a chronic inflammatory and a heterogeneous condition of respiratory system whose pathogenesis is linked with variable structural changes. The clinical manifestation of asthma includes attacks of breathlessness, cough, chest tightness and wheezing. Provision of basic equipment and test for asthma diagnosis and access to essential medicines by asthmatic patients reduces morbidity and mortality rates. Significant progress has been made in the diagnosis and management of asthma in other countries but not in the health care delivery system in Zimbabwe. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop algorithm for asthma diagnosis and management for Zimbabwe. METHODS: a two stage Delphi model was used to collect data in order to develop an algorithm of asthma diagnosis and management. A baseline interview with 44 doctors was done to understand their experiences and knowledge regarding asthma diagnosis and management. We collected data using the KoBo Collect Toolbox installed on Android mobile phone and transferred the data to an Excel 2016 spreadsheet for cleaning. The data was qualitatively analysed and themes were constructed. These themes were further explored in stage two at an algorithm development workshop which was led by 4 medical expert panellists in order to develop consensus on the information to be included in the algorithms for asthma diagnosis and management. A total of 15 doctors and 30 nurses participated at the workshop. RESULTS: doctors who attended the workshop described the challenges in asthma diagnosis and management that they experienced. These challenges were attributed to lack of basic equipment such as spirometers and Peak Expiratory Flow Meters and tests which included IgE tests, Skin Allergen Tests and RAST. Asthma diagnosis clinical history and management was based on the doctors' knowledge. The doctors indicated the need for refresher courses to update their knowledge on asthma diagnosis and enhance their diagnostic skills. A draft algorithm framework for asthma diagnosis was developed at the workshop and later refined by the core-research team. The final algorithm described in this paper was circulated for further contributions and endorsement by the asthma experts. CONCLUSION: we established the need for doctors to receive constant refresher courses on asthma diagnosis for upskilling. We recommend adoption by the Zimbabwe's Ministry of Health and Child Care of the asthma diagnostic algorithm we developed.