1. Overview of characteristics of included studies.
| Study ID | Design (allocation) | Country and setting | Intervention name, duration, number of components, dominant component | Patients in intervention group | Patients in control group | Number of reported outcomes |
| RCTs | ||||||
| Armour 2007 | C‐RCT (pharmacy) |
Australia rural and urban pharmacies |
Pharmacy Asthma Care Program 6 months components: 8 dominant component: EDU |
N = 160 women: 67.5% mean age: 47.5 moderate‐severe asthma |
N = 186 women: 60.5% mean age: 50.4 moderate‐severe asthma |
Org: 1 Process: 6 QOL: 1 Symptoms/activity: 2 Self‐care: 5 Lung function: 2 |
| Cambach 1997 | RCT | Netherlands local physiotherapy practices |
Rehabilitation programme 3 months components: 6 dominant component: ORG_PT |
N = 22 women: 81.8% mean age: 40 mild‐moderate asthma |
N = 21 women: 66.7% mean age: 53 mild‐moderate asthma |
QOL: 1 Symptoms/activity: 3 |
| Castro 2003 | RCT | USA inpatients and outpatients in a hospital |
Use of an asthma nurse specialist to provide a multifaceted approach to asthma care for “high‐risk” inpatients 6 months components: 10 dominant component: mixed |
N = 50 women: 80% mean age: 35 moderate‐severe asthma |
N = 46 women: 85% mean age: 38 mod‐severe asthma |
HC use: 8 QOL: 1 |
| Charrois 2006 | RCT | Canada community rural pharmacies and PCPs |
Better Respiratory Education and Asthma Treatment in Hinton and Edson (BREATHE) 6 months components: 11 dominant component: mixed |
N = 36 women: 53% mean age: 35.7 moderate‐severe asthma |
N = 34 women: 53% mean age: 38.7 moderate‐severe asthma |
Org: 1 Process: 3 HC use: 1 Symptoms/activity: 2 Lung function: 1 |
| Couturaud 2002 | RCT | France outpatient clinic of two university hospitals |
Educational programme in asthmatic patients following treatment readjustment 12 months components: 7 dominant component: EDU |
N = 26 women: 69.4% mean age: 37.8 moderate‐severe asthma |
N = 28 women: 66.7% mean age: 38.1 moderate‐severe asthma |
HC use: 1 QOL:1 Symptoms/activity: 3 Self‐care: 3 Lung function: 1 |
| Galbreath 2008 | RCT | USA University Medical Center and PCP |
The South Texas Asthma Management Project (STAMP) 6 months components: 9 dominant component: mixed |
N = 262 women: 77.6% mean age: 42.3 moderate‐severe asthma |
N = 124 women: 77.6% mean age: 43.7 moderate‐severe asthma |
Org: 1 Process: 2 HC use: 4 QOL: 1 Symptoms/activity: 2 Lung function: 3 |
| Huang 2009 | RCT | Taiwan outpatient chest department of hospital |
Individualised self‐care education programme 6 months components: 6 dominant component: EDU |
N = 98 women: 29.5% mean age: na moderate‐severe asthma |
N = 50 women: 22% mean age: na moderate‐severe asthma |
Process: 1 HC use: 1 Symptoms/activity: 2 Self‐care: 3 Lung function: 4 |
| Kokubu 2000 | RCT | Japan hospital and patients' home |
Asthma telemedicine system 6 months components: 8 dominant component: ORG_HC |
N = 32 women: 62% mean age: 49.9 asthma severity na |
N = 34 women: 56% mean age: 47.3 asthma severity na |
HC use: 4 Pt satis: 1 QOL: 1 Symptoms/activity: 3 Self‐care: 3 Lung function: 1 |
| Martin 2009 | RCT | USA PCPs |
A community‐based intervention to improve asthma self‐efficacy in African American adults designed by the Chicago Initiative to Raise Asthma Health Equity (CHIRAH) 3 months components: 7 dominant component: EDU |
N = 19 women: 60% mean age: 33 asthma severity na |
N = 18 women: 77% mean age: 37 asthma severity na |
Org: 1 Process: 2 QOL: 1 Symptoms/activity: 3 Self‐care: 3 |
| Mayo 1990 | RCT | USA outpatient chest clinic of a hospital |
Outpatient programme designed to reduce readmissions for asthma exacerbations 8 months components: 6 dominant component: EDU |
N = 47 women: 70.2% mean age: 42 moderate‐severe asthma |
N = 57 women: 57.9% mean age: 42 moderate‐severe asthma |
HC use: 1 Symptoms/activity: 1 |
| McLean 2003 | RCT | Canada community pharmacies |
The British Columbia pharmacy asthma study incorporating an asthma care protocol provided by specially trained community pharmacists 12 months components: 7 dominant component: EDU |
N = 119 women: 63% mean age: na asthma severity na |
N = 105 women: 62.9% mean age: na asthma severity na |
HC use: 4 Pt satis: 1 QOL: 1 Symptoms/activity: 4 Self‐care: 1 Lung function: 1 |
| Petro 2005 | C‐RCT (provider) |
Germany PCPs | A disease management programme with a case manager 12 months components: 7 dominant component: ORG_HC |
N = 56 women: 54.2% mean age: 57.3 moderate‐severe asthma |
N = 55 women: 44% mean age: 55 moderate‐severe asthma |
HC use: 2 QOL: 3 Symptoms/activity: 1 Lung function: 2 |
| Schatz 2006 | RCT | USA Kaiser Permanente Medical Care program |
Regular care manager and intensive individualised educational visit 12 months components: 11 dominant component: mixed |
N = 30 women: 32.3% mean age: 45 moderate‐severe asthma |
N = 15 women: 54.8% mean age: 45.4 moderate‐severe asthma |
Process: 1 HC use: 1 QOL: 1 Symptoms/activity: 2 Self‐care: 1 |
| Smith 2005 | RCT | UK outpatient asthma clinics of a hospital and PCPs |
The Coping with Asthma Study (a home based, nurse led psychoeducational intervention for adults at risk of adverse asthma outcomes) 6 months components: 15 dominant component: EDU |
N = 42 women: 62% mean age: 38.2 moderate‐severe asthma |
N = 42 women: 84% mean age: 34.7 moderate‐severe asthma |
QOL: 6 Symptoms/activity: 1 Self‐care: 6 |
| Wilson 2010 | RCT | USA Kaiser Permanente clinics |
The Better Outcomes of Asthma Treatment (BOAT) study 9 months components: 9 dominant component: mixed |
N = 362 women: 56.2% mean age: 46.3 moderate‐severe asthma |
N = 189 women: 57.4% mean age: 45.1 moderate‐severe asthma |
Process: 1 HC use: 2 QOL: 1 Symptoms/activity: 5 Lung function: 2 |
| NRCT | ||||||
| Herborg 2001 | C‐NRCT (pharmacy) |
Denmark community pharmacies |
Therapeutic outcomes monitoring (TOM) programme 12 months components: 9 dominant component: ORG_PT |
N = 209 women: 57.6% mean age: 38.8 moderate‐severe asthma |
N = 204 women: 54.7% mean age: 42.4 moderate‐severe asthma |
Org : 3 HC use: 7 Pt satis: 1 QOL: 2 Symptoms/activity: 4 Self‐care: 1 Lung function: 1 |
| CBAs | ||||||
| Feifer 2004 | CBA | USA PCPs in a region covered by a health insurance company |
Population‐based asthma disease management programme using broad‐based educational interventions 12 months components: 7 dominant component: mixed |
N = 35,450 women: 56% mean age: na asthma severity na |
N = 35,450 women: 56% mean age: na asthma severity na |
Process: 3 HC use: 3 QOL: 1 Symptoms/activity: 4 Self‐care: 3 |
| Landon 2000 | CBA | USA community health centres |
Health Disparities Collaboratives disseminating quality improvement techniques 54 months components: ≥ 11 dominant component: ORG_HC |
N = 1696 (total/2) women: 63.5% mean age: 28.4 asthma severity na |
N = 1696 (total/2) women: 67.6% mean age: 34.4 asthma severity na |
Process: 7 HC use: 1 Symptoms/activity: 1 |
| Weng 2005 | CBA | Taiwan outpatient clinics of a hospital and PCPs |
A government‐sponsored outpatient‐based disease management programme 12 months components: 8 dominant component: EDU |
N = 854 women: 44.5% mean age: na asthma severity na |
N = 3188 women: 43% mean age: na asthma severity na |
Pro satis: 1 HC use: 4 |
| Windt 2010 | CBA | Germany PCPs |
Nationwide asthma disease management programme > 12 months components: ≥ 5 dominant component: ORG_HC |
N=317 women: 48.6% mean age: 36.5 asthma severity na |
N=317 women: 44.2% mean age: 36.5 asthma severity na |
Process: 8 HC use: 2 |
RCT: randomised controlled trial, NRCT: non‐randomised controlled trial, CBA: controlled before‐after study, C‐: cluster, PCP: primary care practice, EDU: educational and self‐management support component, ORG_PAT: organisational component targeting patients; ORG_HC organisational component targeting healthcare professionals or the healthcare system, na: not available, HC: healthcare, QOL: quality of life, Org: organisational, Pt satis: patient satisfaction, Pro satis: healthcare professionals' satisfaction