SELF-TREATMENT BY ADULTS DURING SLOW-ONSET EXACERBATIONS OF ASTHMA

Self-management plans are considered today an essential component of t he management of asthma. The objective of the present study was (a) to explore patients' present practical knowledge of self-treatment of as thma, and (b) to provide an assessment of the effect of an educational program on this knowledge and self-treatment behaviour. Twenty four a dults with asthma from the outpatient clinic of the Department of Pulm onary Medicine participated in a self-management program. They were pr ovided with explanations on the symptoms and precipitating factors of their asthma, on its treatment with medication and their side-effects, and with personal written guidelines for self-adjustment of their med ication. Prior to the program their practical knowledge of adequate se lf-treatment was investigated using a hypothetical scenario of a slow- onset asthma exacerbation. The effectiveness of the teaching and train ing program was evaluated by the change in knowledge prior to and 5 mo nths after the program and self-reported behaviour of the participants at follow-up. (a) More than 60% of the patients lacked practical know ledge of self-treatment of a slow-onset exacerbation of asthma. (b) Th e educational program resulted in a significant increase (47%) of this knowledge. (c) Actual self-treatment behaviour, as recorded by the pa tients 5 months after completing the educational program, was adequate in only two of ten patients, who experienced an exacerbation during t he study period. Many adults with asthma are deficient in practical kn owledge of self-treatment of a slow-onset exacerbation. This knowledge was significantly augmented by an educational program. Nevertheless a ctual self-treatment behaviour at follow-up was inadequate in the majo rity of patients, (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.