Behavioral issues in asthma management.
Despite advances in drug treatment, outcomes in asthma remain unsatisfactory. Often overlooked in developing treatment strategies are important factors that affect outcomes in asthma: behavioral issues such as the low rate of patient adherence to the prescribed treatment regimen, inadequate physician-patient communication, and inconsistent implementation of evidence-based treatment guidelines. The low adherence rates among asthma patients may be improved by education programs that emphasize both the potentially serious risks of this disease and a team approach to treatment that includes patients and their families in developing a treatment plan. Interactive physician education programs have been shown to improve guideline implementation and physician communication skills. Indeed, effective physician-patient communication may be the key to improving guideline implementation and patient adherence, resulting in meaningful decreases in asthma-related morbidity and mortality.
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C. S. Mott Children's Hospital, University of Michigan Medical Center, Room L2221, Box 0212, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0212, USA.
D001249:Asthma / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D019468:Disease Management; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations