[Study of how to continue peak flow monitoring for patients with bronchial asthma: questionnaire to continuation and interruption patients].
Since 1993, our hospital has actively pursuing introduction of peak flow monitoring for patients with bronchial asthma. However, a number of patients are found to discontinue PEF monitoring. In order to determine the causes, a comparative analysis of recognition between patients who continued PEF monitoring (continuation group, hereafter) and those who discontinued PEF monitoring (interruption group, hereafter) was conducted through a questionnaire survey. The number of patients with bronchial asthma who responded to the questionnaire was 120; among them, the number of cases who continued and interrupted PEF monitoring were 68 and 52, respectively. The percentage of patients whose symptoms improved after the introduction of PEF monitoring was higher in the continuation group than in the interruption group. Approximately half of the patients in the interruption group commented that PEF monitoring was valid. The percentage of patients who believed that PEF monitoring is valid was higher in the group of patients who experienced reduction in the severity of symptom after introduction of PEF monitoring compared with those who did not. From these results, to keep high compliance of PEF monitoring, we propose that introduction of PEF monitoring and education of self-management should be positively stated for patients in unstable state. Furthermore, we found that some of the patients in the interruption group expressed interest in restarting PEF monitoring, indicating that each patient should be dealt with on a case by case basis. Appeals from doctors, patients education and advice of relatively few measurements, were found to be especially important in motivating patients to use PEF monitoring.
Ueshima
Y
Y
Department of Respiratory Medicine Fujigaoka Hospital of Showa University.
Kikuchi
T
T
Kaneko
N
N
Kaneshige
H
H
Suzuki
H
H
D001249:Asthma / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010352:Patient Dropouts; D010366:Peak Expiratory Flow Rate; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires