ASMact: Managing bronchial asthma attacks in children
Standardization According to GINA 2025 Recommendations for the Treatment, Management, and Follow-up of Acute Asthma Attacks: Observational, Multicenter Cohort Study.
This study tries a GINA 2025-based staff education and care-standardization approach to see if emergency treatment for children aged 6–17 with acute asthma attacks improves outcomes.
Quick facts
| Study type | Observational |
|---|---|
| Enrollment | 500 (estimated) |
| Ages | 6 Years to 17 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS Academic / other |
| Locations | 2 sites (Ferrara, FE and 1 other locations) |
| Trial ID | NCT07412769 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
ASMact is a multicenter observational cohort comparing clinical outcomes before and after a structured educational intervention based on the 2025 GINA recommendations. Children aged 6–17 presenting to participating emergency departments with acute asthma exacerbations were included during a pre-intervention period (October 2024–May 2025) and a post-intervention period (October 2025–May 2026). The intervention targeted medical and nursing staff with didactic lectures, clinical simulation sessions, case-based discussions, and updated diagnostic and therapeutic flowcharts. Clinical outcomes and care processes were compared between the two periods to measure changes in management and patient outcomes.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are children aged 6–17 who present to one of the participating emergency departments with an acute asthma exacerbation and have complete clinical data available.
Not a fit: Patients younger than 6 or older than 17, those with diagnoses other than an acute asthma exacerbation, patients transferred after initial treatment elsewhere, or those with incomplete records are unlikely to benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, standardizing emergency care to GINA 2025 and training staff could reduce treatment variability, lower hospital admissions, and speed recovery for children with asthma attacks.
How similar studies have performed: Previous implementations of guideline-based emergency asthma protocols and staff education have shown improvements in treatment consistency and some clinical outcomes, so this approach builds on existing evidence.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Age between 6 and 17 years * Presentation to the emergency department with a diagnosis of acute asthma exacerbation * Evaluation in the emergency department of one of the participating centers during the study periods Exclusion Criteria: * Age \< 6 years or \> 17 years * Diagnosis other than acute asthma exacerbation * Incomplete or missing clinical data * Patients transferred from other hospitals already treated for the same episode * history of allergy to any drugs used in the protocol
Where this trial is running
Ferrara, FE and 1 other locations
- Arcispedale S. Anna — Ferrara, Fe, Italy (Recruiting)
- Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS, Firenze — Florence, Italy (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Grazia Fenu
- Email: grazia.fenu@meyer.it
- Phone: +390555662388
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.