Objective: To examine how often providers discussed asthma action plans with children and their caregivers and child, clinical, and provider characteristics that were associated with those discussions.
Method: This was a cross-sectional analysis of audio-recorded visits between 35 general pediatric providers and 260 children (8-16 years old) with asthma and their caregivers. The visits were transcribed into text. The transcripts were coded for discussions about written asthma action plans.
Results: Providers discussed written asthma action plans with 21.0% of children and caregivers. Providers were significantly more likely to discuss asthma action plans when the child was enrolled in Medicaid, the visit was asthma related, the visit was longer, the provider was not White, or more provider education.
Conclusion: In our sample, providers rarely discussed action plans with children and their caregivers. Providers should discuss asthma action plans with every child with persistent asthma and their caregivers and revise them regularly.
Keywords: adolescent; asthma; child; pediatrics; written action plans.