Evaluation of the consensus of the national asthma treatment guidelines in Taiwan.
Despite advances in drug treatment, outcomes of patients with asthma remain unsatisfactory. Low rates of patient compliance to the prescribed treatment regimen, inadequate physician-patient communication, and inconsistent implementation of evidence-base treatment guidelines are the most important causes. In Taiwan, a national asthma guideline was prepared for publication by the Health Department in 2000. Physician and patient adherence to the guidelines is an important factor the control of asthma. Recently in several articles, researchers have suggested that the under utilization of the asthma guidelines may in part be related to a lack of understanding. In an investigation of the effectiveness of these guidelines, a questionnaire was sent to the doctors practicing in the regional hospitals/medical centers and private clinics. In addition, the nursing groups in the hospitals were included. In conclusion, poor adherence and lack of understanding of the guidelines was found. It clearly indicated a need for further educational programs to the professional health care providers that cause their behavior and concepts of treatment to be too subjective. Consequently, asthma patients did not receive appropriated evaluation or treatment, which may be part of the reason for increasing the asthma-related mortality and morbidity rates in Taiwan.
Wan
Kong-Sang
KS
Department of Pediatrics, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chen
Li-Hui
LH
Lin
Yung-Li
YL
D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D013624:Taiwan