UMass Chan granted $4M to study asthma medication adherence

A modern hospital building with a sign that reads UMass Chan Medical School

Photo | Timothy Doyle UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester

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By Isabel Tehan

Researchers at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester are studying the role school nurses play in helping with daily medication adherence among children with asthma.

The study is funded with a $3.8-million grant from National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.

The randomized study will have one group of asthmatic children and their families receive written guidance from their providers, while the other group will also have supervised support from school nurses, according to a Dec. 11 announcement from the medical school. The second strategy will use practices under the UMass Chan-developed Asthma Link program. Dr. Michelle Trivedi, UMass Chan associate professor of pediatrics, pediatric pulmonologist and asthma clinical researcher, will lead the study.

“I see children suffering from repeated visits to the hospital and ER because they are not receiving their daily asthma medicine. I am excited to examine and disseminate practical strategies to improve this problem,” Trivedi said in the announcement.

The study will involve 14 pediatric practices and schools across Massachusetts. Approximately 350 children with asthma and their parents will be enrolled. Trivedi previously led a pilot study of the Asthma Link program with 66 children between July 2021 and early 2023.