Measuring success in asthma care.
One hundred and twenty-six asthmatics in a practice of 4012 patients were interviewed at home by an undergraduate medical student. A questionnaire revealed a poor level of knowledge about asthma and its treatment. Inadequate understanding was found in 68% of parents with affected children and in 78% of adults with the disease. Treatment was thought to be sub-optimal in 32% of children and 37% of adults. Patients' symptoms were assessed on an asthma disability score of exercise limitation, night cough, wheezing episodes, time in hospital, and time off work or school. This enabled a profile of symptom severity in the sample to be constructed. The study has prompted the practice to re-examine its care of asthmatics so that diagnosis, treatment, education and supervision can become better organized.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004739:England; D005194:Family Practice / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires