Effect of patient education on self-management skills and health status in patients with asthma: a randomized trial

Purpose We conducted a randomized clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of a newly established education program for adults with asthma. The program was designed to improve patients’ health and functional status. Subjects and methods Hospitalized patients with asthma were randomly assigned to immediate education or a 6-month waiting list. The education program consisted of three group sessions, delivered by trained educators, and focused on improving patients’ self-management skills. Of 253 eligible patients, 131 agreed to participate (66 assigned to immediate education, 65 controls) and 115 (88%) completed the follow-up assessment at 6 months. Results At follow-up, most indicators of self-management skills and health and functional status had improved significantly among educated patients, but similar improvements were also seen among controls. The trial arms differed significantly on only four variables: patients in the immediate-education group were more likely to develop confidence in their asthma treatment (odds ratio adjusted for baseline [OR] = 2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.0 to 8.1), to improve their knowledge of correct inhalation technique (OR = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.0 to 5.7), and to improve knowledge of the peak flow reading that warrants calling a physician (OR = 3.1; 95% CI: 1.4 to 6.7), but they improved less on the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire “activity” score (difference: −0.4 on a 1 to 7 scale; 95% CI: −0.8 to 0.0). Use of health services during follow-up was similar in the two groups. Conclusion The education program did not enhance patients’ health and functional status, despite improving a few self-management skills. These results underscore the need for controlled evaluations of education programs.