Factors influencing patient decisions about the use of asthma controller medication.
BACKGROUND
Patient nonadherence with asthma controller medication is pervasive and impedes successful adoption of national treatment guidelines.


OBJECTIVE
To survey adult patients with asthma about the factors influencing their decisions about when to use their asthma controller medications.


METHODS
Two hundred adults with asthma were randomly selected from a national database and were surveyed by telephone about medication use, barriers to adherence, and treatment preferences.


RESULTS
Adherence to daily controller medication in the group was generally well below the prescribed level despite the fact that many had relatively severe asthma and inadequately controlled symptoms. Thirty percent of the respondents indicated that they had been instructed by their physician to use their controller medication intermittently as guided by their symptoms. Most respondents expressed a desire to be more in control of their treatment and for that treatment to be more immediately effective and long-lasting but did not perceive inadequate information to be a barrier to adherence.


CONCLUSIONS
These insights into patient perception and motivation suggest the importance of developing treatment plans that allow patients some degree of control over medication use.
Bender
Bruce G
BG
Department of Pediatrics, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, Colorado, USA. Benderb@njc.org
Long
Aidan
A
Parasuraman
Bhash
B
Tran
Zung Vu
ZV
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010358:Patient Participation; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents