title: What do nurses and residents know about childhood asthma?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess residents' and pediatric nurses' basic knowledge of childhood asthma and to identify areas needing educational reinforcement.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey using a validated self-administered questionnaire containing 25 true-false and six short open-ended questions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pediatric residents and family medicine residents who were on rotation at a tertiary care pediatric hospital over a six-month period, and pediatric nurses on duty in the emergency department, on the wards and on the pediatric intensive care unit over a month period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The participation rate was 80% (28 of 35) of pediatric residents, 89% (33 of 37) of family medicine residents, and 50% (81 of 163) of pediatric nurses. The mean score (+/- standard deviation) on the 31-point questionnaire was 27.7+/-1.8 for pediatric residents, 25.5+/-3.6 for family medicine residents, and 22.3+/-3.8 for pediatric nurses (ANOVA, P<0.001). Most (at least 75%) participants correctly identified bronchospasm and airway inflammation as two potential mechanisms of asthma and were able to list three routinely used drugs to treat exacerbations. However, 32% of pediatric residents, 12% of family medicine residents and 72% of pediatric nurses failed to identify all three main symptoms of asthma (wheezing, cough, dyspnea). Although most participants recognized that children with frequent exacerbations should receive prophylactic therapy, 25% of pediatric residents, 52% of family medicine residents and 81% of pediatric nurses were unable to name at least two preventive asthma medications. More than 50% of participants could not name two drugs used in the prevention of exercise-induced asthma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Residents and nurses had adequate basic knowledge of the treatment of acute exacerbations. However, most individuals needed reinforcement in preventive asthma therapy and daily management.
authors.affiliation: The Montreal Children's Hospital, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Lemay
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zegray
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Ducharme
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma; D002648:Child; D003625:Data Collection; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D010371:Pediatric Nursing; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires