The patient-physician partnership in asthma: real-world observations associated with clinical and patient-reported outcomes.
BACKGROUND
It is hypothesized that a good partnership between asthma patients and their physicians has a direct and positive influence on the patients' clinical and patient-reported outcomes. Conversely, poor partnership has a detrimental effect on clinical and patient-reported outcomes. This paper uses data from a real-world observational study to define partnership through matched physician and patient data and correlate the quality of partnership with observed clinical and patient-reported outcomes.


METHODS
Data were drawn from Adelphi's Respiratory Disease Specific Programme, a cross-sectional study of consulting patients in five European countries undertaken between June and September 2009. A range of clinical and patient-reported outcomes were observed allowing analysis of the partnership between 2251 asthma patients and their physicians.


RESULTS
Analysis demonstrates that the better the partnership between patient and physician, the more likely the patient is to have their asthma condition controlled (P<0.001), to experience fewer exacerbations (P<0.001), to have better quality of life (P<0.001), to have fewer sleep disturbances (P<0.001), and to have fewer patient-reported symptoms (P<0.001). Partnership is also associated with lower impact on lifestyle (P<0.01) and reduced days lost at work/school (P<0.05), and with patient satisfaction with their inhaler device (P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The patient-physician partnership is a contributory factor in the improvement of asthma treatment, and patient education may lead to improvement in a patient's ability to contribute to this. Device satisfaction is one of the markers of good partnership.
Small
M
M
Adelphi Real World, Adelphi Mill, Bollington, Macclesfield, SK10 5JB, UK. mark.small@adelphigroup.com
Vickers
A
A
Anderson
P
P
Kay
S
S
D001249:Asthma / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011788:Quality of Life; D057566:Self Report; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D001993:Bronchodilator Agents