Patient and clinician perceptions of asthma education and management in resistant asthma: a qualitative study

Dean, Sarah G., Young, Vanessa, Elley, C Raina and Bruton, Anne (2008) Patient and clinician perceptions of asthma education and management in resistant asthma: a qualitative study. New Zealand Family Physician, 35 (4), 257-262. (Submitted)

Abstract

This study explores patient and health professional perceptions of asthma
education and management in a lower socioeconomic general practice, using
semi-structured interviews. Perceptions of Maori patients were emphasised,
due to disparity of asthma health outcomes. ‘Priority’, ‘beliefs’ and
‘frustration’ were prominent emergent themes. Patients were concerned with
issues they confront day-to-day, and did not prioritise longer-term health
promotion. Health professionals face time constraints, limiting their ability
to establish rapport, deal with multiple social and health problems, and
provide asthma education. Beliefs: patients often accepted that their symptoms
must be tolerated. Reliance on health professionals during acute
exacerbations was their focus, rather than longer-term self-management and
prevention strategies. Health professionals expressed frustration about lack
of patient adherence to preventative self-management strategies whereas
patients were frustrated with the inconvenience of asthma management regimens.
The findings highlight the mismatch between the medical model of
health education that places the individual’s medical condition at the centre,
and patients’ realities set within social, economic and cultural contexts, which
are often ‘others-orientated’.

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Contributors

Author: Anne Bruton

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