Intervention for Hispanic Children With Asthma

BACKGROUND:

Although asthma affects 6-10 percent of children aged 6-16 years, the prevalence of asthma in Hispanic groups and the degree of resulting morbidity were unknown in 1990. The study sought to answer the following questions: 1) Would a physician education intervention result in improved medical management for Hispanic children with asthma who were cared for within the context of an outpatient clinic? 2) Would a focused educational intervention for Hispanic children with asthma and their families result in decreased morbidity and improved quality of life? If effective, the physician education and patient education programs could serve as models for the implementation of similar programs in outpatient clinic settings which serve Hispanic children with asthma.

The study was part of a demonstration and education initiative "Interventions for Control of Asthma Among Black and Hispanic Children" which was released by the NHLBI in June 1989.

DESIGN NARRATIVE:

Prior to enrollment of patients, all physicians participated in an intervention which included the following elements: a brief seminar about medical management for children with asthma, introduction of protocols in low chart format (algorithms), use of a standardized progress note from for children with asthma, a series of computer-based simulations and individualized feedback to physicians. The effectiveness of the physician education component in changing physician behavior was measured by pre- /post-test, chart audit, and performance on computer-based simulations.