Development, Implementation and Evaluation of a New Adult Asthma Self-Management Program

Abstract

The purpose of the research was to develop, implement, and evaluate a new adult asthma self-management program with a multidisciplinary perspective. Small groups of adults met for 2 hr for 7 consecutive weekly meetings. Participants were asked to practice asthma specific behaviors (including peak expiratory flow monitoring, avoidance/removal of asthma triggers, and controller medication adherence) and general lifestyle behaviors (including drinking water, practicing relaxation, washing hands, and exercising). Learner-centered teaching techniques such as interactive communication and social support were utilized to help participants practice self-management behaviors including problem-solving and goal-setting. Paired sample t-tests included statistically significant improvements in asthma knowledge, asthma specific quality of life (QOL), asthma specific behaviors such as peak flow monitoring and general life style behaviors such as frequency of daily exercise. These results provide evidence that this new adult asthma self-management program can lead to both knowledge acquisition and behavioral changes.

The Effects of Asthma Education on Asthma Knowledge and Health-Related Quality of Life in Taiwanese Asthma Patients

“…Despite intervention, the comparison group also showed an increased knowledge about asthma. This finding, consistent with the results of the studies by Abdulwadud, Abramson, Forbes, James, and Walters (1999), Meszaros et al (2003), and Tousman et al (2007), may be explained by the simple fact that asking patients with asthma about their condition improves their awareness and, correspondingly, their understanding of the disorder. Besides, Szpiro, Harrison, VanDenKerkhof, and Loungheed (2009) also found that a brief asthma education intervention program resulted in a short-term increase in asthma knowledge.…”

“…This finding suggests that education programs, such as the one used in this study, can increase patient knowledge about asthma. As in several previous studies (Clark & Nothwehr, 1997;Kauppinen et al, 1999;Meszaros, Orosz, Mgyar, Mesko, & Vincze, 2003;Tousman, Zeitz, Taylor, & Bristol, 2007), the results of this study indicate that differences in asthma knowledge scores at follow-up likely reflect an effect of the educational programVthe goal of which was to enable patients to monitor, to control, and to manage their disease with the aid of an asthma workbook used through the study period. Despite intervention, the comparison group also showed an increased knowledge about asthma.…”

Coping and social problem solving correlates of asthma control and quality of life

“…However, the study did not carry out statistical analyses relating specific types or levels of maladaptive problem solving with asthma morbidity. 8 Studies of adult asthma found that variables similar to social problem-solving components (e.g. avoiding asthma) were related to quality of life.…”

“…6,7 To bridge the gap between poorly and well-controlled asthma, others have implemented problem-solving components to intervention programs. 8,9 These programs assert that asthma-related behaviors such as taking medication daily, or carrying an inhaler, can be viewed as a stressor that could undermine effective asthma management.…”

Patient-centered care and its effect on outcomes in the treatment of asthma

“…Huang et al85 evaluated an individualized program for older adults with asthma, and found that indicators of asthma control improved. Tousman et al86 developed a “learner-centered” program that utilized homework assignments with “individual status reports” in weekly small group meetings; participants improved in knowledge, quality of life (QOL), and behavior change. Finally, Nokela et al87 investigated the use of structured information along with monitoring (asthma diary).…”