title: Puerto Rican families' experiences of asthma and use of the emergency department for asthma care.
abstract: Puerto Ricans have been found to have higher asthma prevalence rates than non-Hispanic whites, blacks, and all other Hispanic subgroups. They also have the highest rates of emergency department (ED) use for the management of their asthma. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, the aim of this study was to describe the lived experience of Puerto Rican families caring for their child's asthma and using the ED for asthma care. Six themes were generated from in-depth interviews with 10 Puerto-Rican caregivers: (1) The Folklore of Asthma, (2) Culture and the Medicine Woman, (3) In Awe of Asthma, (4) Praying to God, (5) The Decision-Time to Go, and (6) The ED Environment. The findings emphasize the necessity of establishing and maintaining a therapeutic partnership between primary care providers and families of children with asthma. The results may be used as a foundation for understanding motivations for seeking asthma care in the ED.
authors.affiliation: University of Vermont School of Nursing and College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, USA.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Coffey
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cloutier
authors.forename: Mikki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meadows-Oliver
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Terrazos
mesh_terms: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D003657:Decision Making; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005190:Family / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D005495:Folklore; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D011647:Puerto Rico / Q000208:ethnology; D012067:Religion; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents