| "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Parents' psychological responses to asthma attacks are among the strongest motivators of seeking accident and emergency (A&E) services for their child, according to a study conducted in London. " "In contrast, characteristics of the home environment, such as dampness, overcrowding, or living with a smoker, have little effect on use of emergency departments." "Children with asthma often use A&E services, Dr. Lindsay Forbes, from Springfield University Hospital, and associates note in their paper, published in the journal Thorax. To find out what triggers a visit to A&E, they studied children with asthma residing in south-east inner London, which has a high poverty rate." "The team identified 209 children ages 3 to 14 years old who were treated at an A&E for asthma over a 1-year period. Another 712 randomly chosen subjects who also had asthma but had not attended an A&E during the year prior to their enrollment. The data came from patients' records and questionnaires they were asked to completed. " "The authors found that patients who had attended an outpatient clinic with a family doctor during the previous year were 13 times more likely to visit A&E." "Parents who reported feeling alone or experiencing panic or fear when their child's asthma got worse, or who believed they would get quicker service in an A&E, were 2- to 3-fold more likely to bring their child to the emergency
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