title: Perceptions of parents and physicians concerning the Childhood Asthma Control Test.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT) has been proposed to be a simple, patient-based test that is able to reflect the multidimensional nature of asthma control. In this analysis, the aim was to evaluate the perceptions of physicians and caregivers concerning C-ACT and its predictive value for future asthma-related events.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a multicenter prospective design, 368 children aged 4-11 years with asthma who were either well- or not well-controlled were included in the study. The study participants were evaluated during three visits made at 2-month intervals and the Turkish version of C-ACT was completed each month. Parents completed questionnaires concerning their perception of asthma (before and after the study) and the C-ACT (after the study). Physicians completed a survey about their perception of a control-based approach and the C-ACT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The C-ACT scores increased from visit 1 to visit 3, with improvement seen in all domains of the test. At the end of the study period, the parents more strongly agreed that asthma could be controlled completely and that asthma attacks and nocturnal awakenings due to asthma were preventable (p < .05). Most of the parents reported that the C-ACT helped them to determine asthma treatment goals for their children and also that the C-ACT improved communication with their physicians. The physicians indicated that a control-centered approach was more convenient (95%) and simpler (94.5%) than a severity-centered approach and provided better disease control (93.4%). A higher C-ACT score was associated with a decreased risk of asthma attack and emergency department admittance in the 2 months following the administration of C-ACT. Conclusion. Our findings indicated that the C-ACT improved both parental outlook on asthma control and the communication between the physician and parents. There was a good correlation between the C-ACT score and the level of asthma control achieved, as described by the physician. Additionally the C-ACT score was predictive of future asthma-related events. These findings suggest that the C-ACT may have an important role in asthma management in the future.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Unit, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozge Uysal
authors.initials: OU
authors.lastname: Soyer
authors.forename: Fadil
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oztürk
authors.forename: Ozlem
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Keskin
authors.forename: Suna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Asilsoy
authors.forename: Nazan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Altinel
authors.forename: Ozkan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Karaman
authors.forename: Mehtap
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yazicioğlu
authors.forename: Nihat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sapan
authors.forename: Dost
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zeyrek
authors.forename: Semanur
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuyucu
authors.forename: Serap
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozmen
authors.forename: Ismail
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Reisli
authors.forename: Metin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aydoğan
authors.forename: Derya Ufuk
authors.initials: DU
authors.lastname: Altintaş
authors.forename: Fazil
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Orhan
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yüksel
authors.forename: Ayşen Bingöl
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Boz
authors.forename: Fuat
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gürkan
authors.forename: Fulya
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tahan
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cevit
authors.forename: Bülent Enis
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Sekerel
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey