Abstract
Background: To effectively manage chronic diseases such as asthma, it is important to provide the patients with education and self-management skills.
Aims and objectives: The aim of this study was to find out whether participation in a patient education seminar has an effect on asthma control. We hypothesized that asthma patients achieved better asthma control after participating in an education seminar.
Methods: For this case-control study, health insurance companies, pneumologists and pharmacists invited patients with asthma to complete a survey, which included the Asthma Control Test (ACT). Patients were offered the possibility to take part in a patient education seminar run by the Swiss Lung Leagues or Swiss Allergy Centres (“aha”). After one year, patients with (case) and without (control) patient education completed the ACT again. Changes in total ACT score were analysed using dependent t-test.
Results: 223 patients with asthma were investigated (mean age 43.2 ± 11.6 yrs; 38% males). Mean total ACT score at baseline was M=19.48 and standard error SE=3.73 for cases (N=60), and M=20.71, SE=3.98 (N=162) for controls. After one year, mean total ACT score changed significantly in both, case (p=0.002) and control group (p=0.010), but the effect size (r) in patients with education was medium (M=21.19, SE=0.47, t(56)=-3.17, r=0.39), whereas the effect in controls was only small (M=21.65, SE=0.29, t(141)=-2.61, r=0.21).
Conclusions: Although in both groups a change of asthma control was detected, the improvement in trained patients was higher, indicating a positive effect of patient education on asthma control.
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