Two-year evaluation of an educational program for adult outpatients with asthma.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the understanding of asthma and the clinical improvement in patients with moderate or severe persistent asthma prior to and after their participation in an educational program presented during the routine outpatient visits.


METHODS
This was a prospective pilot study involving 164 patients over a two-year period. The educational program, presented to small groups on outpatient visit days, consisted of lectures divided into three parts: pathophysiology; environmental control; and treatment, including training in the inhalation technique. The program was evaluated using standardized questionnaires on clinical improvement and understanding of the disease.


RESULTS
By the end of the first year, 120 patients had completed three visits, and 51 of those patients were re-evaluated at the end of the second year. The mean age of the patients was 44 years, 70% were female, and 43% had up to eight years of schooling. The educational intervention significantly increased the understanding of the disease (p < 0.001), and allowed greater clinical improvement (p < 0.05) with a decrease in the use of oral corticosteroids, fewer visits to the emergency room and fewer days missed from work or school.


CONCLUSIONS
The educational program offered during the routine outpatient visits of adult patients with asthma at our clinic resulted in a progressive long-term increase in knowledge, as well as in clinical improvement.
Angelini
Luciene
L
Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. lucieneangelini@usp.br
Robles-Ribeiro
Priscila Games
PG
Carvalho-Pinto
Regina Maria de
RM
Ribeiro
Marcos
M
Cukier
Alberto
A
Stelmach
Rafael
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000592:standards*; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents