Treatment for patients with moderate to severe acute asthma discharged from acute care often includes oral corticosteroids.¹ Intramuscular (IM) corticosteroids are an option, but evidence has been lacking on whether oral or IM corticosteroids are most effective.^2,3 A new Cochrane systematic review has examined the effectiveness and safety of a single dose of IM corticosteroids provided prior to discharge compared with a short course of oral corticosteroids in patients discharged from emergency care.³

The review included nine studies involving 804 participants. Four studies enrolled children (245 participants), while five …