Predicting asthma attacks in people who rarely visit the doctor
Predicting Exacerbations of Asthma in Real-World Patients with Low Medical Utilization (PEARL)
This project uses real-world health records to spot people with intermittent asthma who are more likely to have future attacks so care can be better tailored.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Kaiser Foundation Research Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Oakland, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11292848 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be part of a project that looks at real-world health records to find who with intermittent asthma is more likely to have an attack. Researchers will analyze things like medication use, symptom reports, past exacerbations, lung test results, and exposure to air pollutants to build prediction models. The team focuses on people who rarely use medical services because their risk is often missed. The goal is a practical tool your clinician could use to identify rising risk early and help prevent emergency visits.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with intermittent asthma, especially those who have low regular medical visits or limited healthcare use and available health records.
Not a fit: People already under close specialist care for persistent, well-controlled asthma or those without accessible medical records may not directly benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help prevent asthma attacks by identifying higher-risk people earlier and guiding targeted monitoring or treatment.
How similar studies have performed: Risk models have been developed for persistent asthma, but applying prediction methods to intermittent, low-healthcare-use patients is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Oakland, UNITED STATES
- Kaiser Foundation Research Institute — Oakland, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chen, Wansu — Kaiser Foundation Research Institute
- Study coordinator: Chen, Wansu
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.