EVALUATION OF AN ASTHMA SELF-MANAGEMENT EDUCATION-PROGRAM

The goat of this study was to evaluate a self-management education pro gram for asthmatics. This was a case-controlled retrospective study wi th a ''1 year before and 1 year after'' assessment of the proposed edu cation program. It was carried out in the Quebec City metropolitan are a, tertiary-center setting. The intervention group included 42 patient s, 14 men and 28 women, aged 15-71 years. A control group of 42 patien ts was matched for age, sex, and medication needs. Neither of the 2 gr oups had previously received structured asthma education. The interven tion group received 3 training sessions on asthma and its treatment, t he use of action plans and self-measurement of peak expiratory flow, a nd was offered individual teaching by a specialized educator or teleph one consultation. Evaluation of asthma knowledge was made before and a fter the teaching sessions and 1 year later. The control group receive d their usual care. The primary clinical outcome measures included fre quency of asthma-related emergency-room (ER) visits, hospitalizations, absenteeism from work, and quality of life, measured 1 year prior to initiation of the educational program and for 1 year after, using ques tionnaires, chart reviews, and interviews. The control group was evalu ated only during the last year of the study. Knowledge of asthma and i ts management was significantly improved immediately after the program and 1 year later (both p < 0.001). Mean quality of life score increas ed at 1 year (p = 0.01). In comparison with the control group, during the year following the education program, the intervention group showe d a reduction in ER visits (p < 0.001) and days off work (p = 0.002). This study shows that a structured asthma education program can increa se knowledge on asthma and its management, reduce frequency of ER visi ts and absenteeism from work, and improve the quality of life of asthm atic patients.