Table 2.

Clinical attributes characterizing a pediatric asthma exacerbation

#	Attribute	Values
Medical history
1	Age at registration	numerical (years)
2	Primary care	family doctor, pediatrician, walk-in/other, none
3	Previous chest clinic assessment	yes, no
4	Age of first asthma symptoms	< 1 year, 1–3 years, > 3 years
5	Current inhaled steroids	< 1 week, 1–4 weeks, > weeks, none
6	Last exacerbation	< 1 month ago, 1–3 months ago, 3–12 months ago, > 12 months ago
7	Last oral steroids	< 1 month ago, 1–3 months ago, 3–12 months ago, > 12 months ago, never
8	Previous ED visits for asthma	1, 2, 3, 4 or more, none
9	Previous admission for asthma	floor, ICU, none
10	Smokers at home/daycare	yes, no
11	Carpets in bedroom	yes, no
12	Pet allergies	yes, no
13	Food allergies	yes, no
14	Environmental allergies	yes, no
15	Atopy/eczema	yes, no
16	Family history of asthma	yes, no
Current exacerbation
17	Duration of symptoms	< 12 hours, 12–48 hours, >48 hours
18	URTI symptoms	yes, no
19	Fever	yes, no
20	Exposure to allergen	yes, no
21	Bronchodilators in the last 24 hours	1–3, 4–6, > 6, none
22	Transport to ED	self/parents, ambulance
Assessment (primary or secondary)
23	SaO2 (oxygen saturation)	numerical (%)
24	Temperature	numerical (C)
25	Heart rate	numerical (bpm)
26	Respiratory rate	numerical (bpm)
27	Skin color	pink/normal, dusky, pale
28	Distress	none, mild, moderate, severe
29	Suprasternal retractions	absent, present
30	Scalene retractions	absent, present
31	Air entry	normal, diminished at bases, diminished at widespread, minimal
32	Wheezing	absent, expiration, inspiration/expiration, audible with a stethoscope